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)

Day 76 - Indulgence

I'm in two minds about my indulgence. If I'd received a message like that from Patrick 6 weeks ago I would have jumped for joy, but it no longer carries quite the same appeal. In my head, treats are now 'good' food rather than 'bad' food. By that I mean fresh ingedients cooked with panache and innovation, rather than a greasy slice of pizza or a burger!

One thing that has been interesting is that over the last 10 weeks is that my relationship with food have changed immeasurably. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm never truly hungry, but I no longer crave instant satiation through junk food. I've always enjoyed healthy food, don't have a particularly sweet tooth, and can be pretty disciplined when I put my mind to it, but I was often lazy with my food choices. Takeaway food is the obvious example here. I'm enjoying appreciating food again and look food to nurturing this relationship going forward.

Consequently, rather than heading to the nearest kebab shop, tonight I am going to eat at the China Club. This is a great restaurant which will be know by anyone based in this neck of the woods. They specialise in Peking Duck and other delicious treats. Most of it will actually be pretty healthy, but it will be good to eat in a restaurant without organising it beforehand. I might even allow myself a glass of wine...

Day 73

Just a quick update as I feel that I have been somewhat remiss recently in terms of blogging. All is still going well, although I do have a slight feeling that I may have plateaued recently - perhaps this is down to the fact that the pcp routine has become just that, a routine. Because I think less about it, I'm less concious of it. Having said that, I haven't strayed from the diet and the exercises are all going pretty well.

One thing that I've noticed is that I'm hitting failure rather earlier than used to be the case. For example, elevated press ups seem to be something of a non-starter at the moment. After a first set of the required amount, I only seem to have enough juice to manage further sets of 5 - 8 at a time. I guess this is because I've pushed myself on the exercise before (chest dips in yesterday's case) but I'm not sure whether this is a good thing. Is it possible that the effort that I put into one exercise is having a detrimental effect on the rest of the routine?

Other than that, all is pretty good. Can't believe that we're getting ever closer to this part of the journey. I was laughing yesterday when someone asked me how long I had to go. I told them that I was on the final push and they said 'Oh, so a couple more days?'. They were somewhat taken aback when i told them that there was another 3 weeks. I guess for some people, 3 weeks of detox feels like a long time...!

Day 66

Am loving PCP at the moment. It's become so much part of my routine that I don't really have to think about it anymore. What I am thinking about is what happens next. I know that Patrick will be making his suggestions, and I also know that there's no going back on the diet; I'm amazed how much I love fresh fruit and yoghurt - I think of it in the same way that I used to think about sweets (that's candy to our American friends).
I am wondering what the next challenge will be though... Would love to hear what others are thinking life will be like post-pcp.

PS Those extra sets are giving a serious burn. Is it weird that I'm really enjoying that??

Day 61 - Weigh-in

Okay, so here goes for my fortnightly weigh-in and I'm running out of colours. It's good to see that I've lost 11kg/25lbs since the start of the project and I'm pleased that my BFP is down to 5.5%, almost a third of what it was 61 days ago. Like Nick J I always feel a bit disheartened when I see skeletal muscle mass go down, and I'm really hoping that the last month will see this figure going up. Patrick, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that... All in all feeling good though. Had to take 3 of my suits to the tailor yesterday to get them refitted. He was a little surprised to see that I'd lost 2.5" around the waist!


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)
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)
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 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)
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%)
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)
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)

Day 60...

Wow, I can't quite believe that we've reached Day 60. Have of me feels like we've been doing this forever, but there's also a side of me that doesn't know where the time's gone. Knowing that we're 2/3 through is great though, and it's given me a real surge of energy knowing that everything is in sight (or almost in site if we're talking about the 6-pack).

I was interested to read Patrick's post yesterday about intensity and timing as I fear that thus far I've been slacking a little in the rest periods. I'm not suggesting that I'm stopping everything to read the paper for half an hour but I've probably given myself more than I need. Consequently I really went for it last night and it felt great. Sitting at my desk now I have that familiar dull ache of muscle soreness, but in a way that reminds me that I gave it some last night. I'm determined to keep this intensity up for the rest of the program.

The Italian's have all gone back to the Dolce Vita, so my life has calmed down a little (if I ignore the email detritus of 5 days away from my desk). I'm really pleased that I managed to get through it unscathed, although I am sad that I couldn't eat more of the delicious food all week. I've found over the course of the last 8 weeks that I have a greater respect for food, and I think about it a lot more. Not in a 'God I'm hungry and need a burger' sort of way, but in that I appreciate good food more. I've found myself fantasising about travelling after April and visiting places like Hanoi, famous for it's street food - it's become something of an obsession!

I'm also eating a lot of avocado, which I have a feeling that I might get called up on when the video is released on Friday. Did anyone ever read The Avocado Baby? It's a kids' book and rather relevant!



I'm still continually blown away by how well everyone is doing, keep up all the great work!

PS Patrick, some wine recommendations just for you:

Try some of the wonderful Barolos from Piedmont:

Cascina delle Rose

Az. Agr. Giovanni Rosso

Az. Agr. E. Pira

Cantina Mascarello Bartolo

Cascina Fontana

Day 54 - Indulgence

Still crazy with the Italians in town; today included a tasting, an interview, lunch, 8 more interviews and a dinner tonight... Today was also when I chose to have my indulgence meal, which I would have been more excited about had I had time to think about it. Either way, I had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called Otto e Mezzo. The food was amazing: Marinated Beef Tenderloin on a carpaccio of vegetables and crispy parmesan, homemade tagliolini of Boston lobster and bottartga, rucola and hot peppers, lamb medallion and lamb shank with whipped potato, parsley teleggio sauce and a lemon tart with citrus salad and a blood orange sorbet.

What's interesting though now that I look at it, is that this is not a million miles off being a PCP friendly meal. The portions were all small, the seasoning was kept to a minimum and there's a healthy mix of vegetables, protein and carbs. Go figure, no wonder it tasted so good... I did also try all the wines as well (sensible amounts rather than a large glass of each).

It's actually been fascinating talking with the Italians, and I love their approach to food. Great ingredients prepared simply with minimum fuss and a good balance between the different food groups. Consequently I'm feeling pretty good and my body hasn't reacted badly at all. This does encourage me as well that you can eat exceptionally well and keep it pretty healthy too. Admittedly the pudding was a treat, but it really was delicious and so small and delicate that I really appreciated it - a far cry from a bowl of ice cream....

Hitting the gym tonight and ready for another day of tastings tomorrow....

Day 53 - New Photo

Wow, it's been a pretty crazy week so far and we're still only on Tuesday. 8 Italian wine producers in town and tastings, lunches and dinners every day. I'm still on track though with exercises and diet so all good. have added a picture today which leaves me with mixed thoughts. I have a slight issue in that I have to take my picture myself and the set-up is not ideal - this leads to unflattering angles and lighting, but heh ho, such is life. What I'm not sure about is whether i look 'healthier'... Don't get me wrong, I feel great and am loving the diet and exercise, but I can't help but fee that I look healthier in the last picture - at the moment I just feel rather skinny and emaciated. Patrick, any chance that I can get out of Machinist mode??

Day 50

Days seem to be flying by at the moment, I can't believe that we're at Day 50 already. I must say, I really look forward to Saturday mornings to see what exercises we're facing for the week and (more importantly) what we're eating. I'm actually really pleased to see that I have a bit more food in the evening. It's not that I've been particularly hungry over the last couple of weeks, but I miss the process of eating and cooking. Eating eggs during the day is going to take a bity of forward planning, but nothing that can't be handled. Actually, this week in general is going to take a lot of planning as we have 5 Italian wine producers in town, which means around 16 events (tastings, dinners, journo interviews, lunches etc). I've had to speak to a lot of chefs to make sure that the pcp diet stays intact, and I'm delighted that I can have an indulgence day, which this time will be spent at Otto e Mezzo, one of my favourite restaurants in HK.

Weird day on the exercise front. Skipping was great, actually really enjoyed it, and feel into a good groove straight away. Exercises felt great, but I hit failure on a couple of exercises that I usually breeze through without too many problems (standing ovations for example). I guess this means that the routine is ramping up - nothing wrong with that!

Hope that everyone else is having a great weekend, here's to the next 40 days!

Day 48

It's interesting to see a new group starting PCP and makes you realise how far we've come in the last 48 days. Good luck to everyone on Day 3, you'll be into the grove before you know it and although it doesn't get easier as such, it does become more intuitive and natural (and, dare I say it, fun!).

Am enjoying the new exercises and the fact that we're targeting different body zones now, I definitely feel like I'm working hard, but I also feel like my body is up to the challenge. I was really pleased with my pull-ups yesterday as before PCP I had never managed to complete one. They're still really tough but I can bang out a few sets now - this is a bigger acheivement than it sounds!

The Kung Fu sit ups/pull ups are awesome too, although I do find it hard not to swing. All in all it's feeling good though.

I'm getting a little bored of egg whites for dinner - are we going to be able to eat a little more soon do we think?

Oh, and just booked a holiday to Bali for when detox is over so looking forward to some surfing, sun, yoga and healthy food!

Week 7 Weigh-in

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)

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)

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 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)

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%)

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)

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)

Wheel2Wheel

Today I wanted to write about something that is a little off-piste as in just over 2hrs a friend of mine is setting off on a 25,000km motorbike journey from Hong Kong to Brisbane, travelling through 10 countries. IIn each of the 10 territories Wheel2Wheel is highlighting one small charity or non-profit organisation that is tackling one of that country’s critical issues, doing it superbly but not yet receiving the systemic attention of the region’s philanthropic community.  


Morgan has been blogging about this monumental trip and there were a couple of paragraphs that stuck with me this morning, as he penned his final thoughts before departure:


"Fundamentally changing your life is almost impossible.  Sure, “things change” over the course of our 27,000-odd days on this planet, but do we?  Pretty much everything and everyone in our life keeps us more or less the same.  Life casts us and then we play our role.  We take breaks from it, we mess around with it, we reject it, we love it, and sometimes we question it.  Rarely do we change it, more often it changes us.

Most people would think I’ve planned my life strategically, the reality is far different.  I have tended to just react to opportunity rather than seek it out or create it.  I admire people who create.  My life is all about how I’ve reacted to chances that have come my way, and in that context I’ve always been an adventurer: willing try things and go places others dismiss without thought.  So I guess, this is just another adventure for me.  Wrong again.

After roughly 13,500 days, today I try to find my way home ….  Yes, in three hours I’m riding 24,500 kms to Brisbane, but I’m really riding into a new a paradigm I’ve been creating in my head for years.  A role perhaps cast for me, but with a script I couldn’t read until now.  Maybe life’s eternal questions won’t be answered over the next 115 days in the saddle of my motorbike, but my eyes will be wide open as I search for a deeper understanding of this fascinating planet and the people who inhabit it.

I have a sneaky suspicion there’s more to life than what most of us have seen up till now.  Whilst the first half has been full of amazing experiences, they all generally fit into an existential box I’ve been gleefully, yet naively, immersed in for too long.  My aspiration is freedom …  to roam … to think without prejudice or manipulation … to give … to experience only to learn … and to see, feel and hear the stories of others from different worlds.

Our world is changing, if not for the shortness of our individual time on this planet, we would see that so much more clearly.  I’m changing too, and one day soon I hope to see beyond my own imagination."

It strikes me that the physical journey that Morgan is about to commence is not dissimilar to the PCP journey that we've all been on for the last 45 days. If you have a moment, check out the website, it's inspiring stuff.

http://www.wheel2wheel.tv/blog/2011/03/d-day/ 

Hump Day

So here we are, day 45 and halfway through the 'official' part of our PCP. All feels pretty good I must say, the sun is shining in Hong Kong and I feel great for a Monday morning! A few things have happened since I last blogged. Before Christmas I had gone to a clothing store and bought a couple of pairs of jeans, one smart pair (i.e. good fit, straight leg, the sort of thing you might be able to wear with a blazer at work) and another pair that are of a slightly more relaxed cut for slobbing around at the weekend. On Saturday night I was going to a birthday dinner for a friend of mine (it was her brother that put me on to PCP and it was being hosted at his house, so I knew that I would have a sympathetic audience in my hosts). I had been wearing the more relaxed pair of jeans during the day and when it came to getting ready I couldn't find the smarter pair ANYWHERE. It's always frustrating when you can't find something and this is exagerated 10-fold in HK where apartments are so small it should be physically impossible to misplace anything. Anyway, after about 30 minutes of turning the wardrobe upside down, I realised something: I had been wearing the smart pair all day and they were just that much loser that I assumed that they were the other pair - What an idiot - I fear that I'm going to have to do some clothes shopping in about 45 days time!!

Coupled with this, I also found myself having to put another hole in my belt. I'll be interested to see what the breakdown is when I have my fortnightly weigh-in tomorrow.

The dinner was great, but it was one of the first times that I've been REALLY jealous other people's food. I'd already had my egg whites so I wasn't hungry as such, but the dishes of roasted tomato and parmesan pasta, lamb shanks, tiramisu, and Italian cheeses that came out just looked and smelt delicious!

Oh, and I also broke my first resistance band - weirdly proud of that....

Everyone seems to be doing really well, keep it going!

Day 40 - a bit of a wobble

It's funny, just yesterday i was talking to Nick J about how healthy and well I was feeling. Cut to about an hour later and I was feeling rotten, achy and sore...! I guess you've got to be careful what you say sometimes. Consequently yesterday's work-out was pretty tough, but I'm delighted to say that I'm feeling 100% again today. I'm still concerned about these pistol squats though - I simply can't get the movement right and it's really doing bad things to my knees (previous marathon running perhaps??). This is frustrating as I feel like I'm missing a leg exercise and I'd really like a replacement exercise to tide me over. I'm still trying to do the pistol sqats each day but I know my joints well enough to know that I'm not a million miles away from doing some damage...!

Ezekiel Bread - DELICIOUS

http://www.foodforlife.com/product-catalog/sprouted-grain/ezekiel-49

Day 37

Although we're not a million miles away from the halfway point now, I feel that we've really come a long way since we started this project in January. Blogs are slowing down a bit, but I guess that's because describing what you're eating each day loses its appeal after a while (for the record, mashed avocado with cayenne pepper and Bragg's Liquid Aminos on Ezekiel 4:9 bread with a poached egg is the breakfast of kings - someone put me on to this bread the other day, it's unbelievably good!!). Consequently I imagine that over the next few days blogs are going to get more philosophical.

I have to say I agree with Molly's latest post; I find it hard to understand why people might want to quit around now when the real changes are first becoming evident. For me this is the time when it's all starting to get exciting!

For these 3 months PCP does take over your life to a greater degree and I've been blown away by the way everyone in the group has been able to balance everything so well, whether that's Andy with his hectic tennis schedule or Heather with her kids; it's seriously impressive stuff. It's made me realise that my life before PCP probably lacked some sort of control. In the past I would decide what to eat when I was hungry, exercise when (if) I had the time. Consequently it was hard to find real balance or stability. Now I have to think ahead and with that has come a new sense of responsability - my attitude has altered. No longer do dishes get left in the sink until the morning, or do I forget to leave money out for the cleaner. I don't get up to find that the milk has run out and I'm better prepared for meetings. So a side-effect of having more respect for yourself and your body is having more respect for others it seems. That can't be a bad thing at all can it?

Day 35

I'm loving the fact that the exercises have gone up a notch and the new variety is great, but those pistol squats are close to impossible! I was completely stumped by them; hoping that I get the hang of them soon...!

Day 34 - Bad co-ordination

I've had mixed success over the last 24 hours. I hit the gym yesterday afternoon with the intention of pushing myself on the skipping - I have a feeling that I have been giving myself a bit of an easy ride on this front so far... Normally I manage around 250 or 300 skips with a short 30 - 30 second break before starting again. Up until now, this has really been a counting issue as much as anything else. Last night I wanted to see how many I could manage if I just kept going. You can imagine my surprise when I hit 400 without too many problems, suddenly 500, 600 and 700 sailed by as well. I finally got to 1,219 before I snagged my toe. So there you go, who'd've thought it.

This morning I had to visit the gym at 7am as I have a lunch and then the theatre to go to this evening. It was a completely different story! On reading everyone's blogs i can see that a lot of you far prefer to be working out in the morning. What I realised is that when it comes to coordination, I don't think I wake up until after breakfast! I got through it all okay, but after such a successful run last night, it was ridiculous to be tripping every 50 skips or so...

Oh well, at least work-out is out of the way for the day. Those floor jumps were pretty painful this morning!!

Week 5 Weigh-in

Some interesting revelations in today's weigh-in. I'm doing this once every two weeks, just out of interest really:


Original Weight: 95.6kg
Weight (01/02/11): 94.7kg (-0.9kg)
Weight: (15/02/11): 90.7kg (-4.0kg)
SMM: 47.1kg
SMM*(01/02/11): 47.7kg (+0.6kg) *Skeletal Muscle Mass
SMM: (15/02/11): 46.7kg (-1.0kg)
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 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)
Percentage Body Fat: 14.6%
Percentage Body Fat (01/02/11): 12.6% (-2%) 
Percentage Body Fat: (15/02/11): 10.3% (-2.3%)
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)
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)

Day 31 - Confession

It's been a few days since I've blogged so a few things to catch up on. In the interest of transparency I also have to admit to a couple of cheats since I last updated my status (actually, maybe three cheats now I come to think of it...). When I received the email on our first indulgence day, I decided that I'd save that particular treat for Saturday night when I was due to be on a date (a couple of glasses of wine appealed I must say). I had not taken into consideration that our menu was going to change, so my first cheat was that Saturday night did not mark the start of my apple, banana and egg white menu. It did however include a very good mesculin salad followed by fish in broth - all (week 4) PCP friendly, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much.

Cheat two... my date and I shared a bottle of wine so I may have had 3 glasses rather than 2 (it was nice wine though and I drank with a glass of water inbetween each glass).

We then went back into town to a cocktail place run by a friend of mine. I had a water while she had a cocktail - so far so good. I did however, then let the side down a bit. I felt bad that she was drinking and I wasn't so I did join her in a cocktail and a couple or vodka tonics before dropping her off home.

Sooooo, I definitely behaved badly, BUT, I did get up at 8am the next morning to go on an 8km hike, which was followed by a good gym session to do my PCP routine. I am of course back on track now but have been feeling guilty, so thought it best to post all the details.

Loving the new exercises though and my first foray into the new dinners went well last night. Weigh in again tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

Oh, and I have to say, although Saturday night was fun, I really didn't feel like I've been missing out on much.

Life/Work Balance

I know that Juan is a fan of TED Talks already, but to those of you who aren't, I thought that the attached was interesting and relevant.

Day 27 - "Woot woot!"

Having read everyone's blogs this morning it seems that we've reached something of a tipping point. Up until now it seems that everyone has, to a greater or lesser extent, been counting off the days until we finish what I'm sure many of us think of as an ordeal. It struck me this morning that attitudes seem to have changed and everyone seems to be having fun (with no chocolate or alcohol - what is the world coming to??). To quote Molly: "We have 64 days to go. Woot woot!".

I went to a debate last night ("The world needs less democracy, not more democracy" - fascinating stuff; the outcome was that the world needs more democracy but the votes were surprisingly close) and while I was waiting to go in I bumped into a guy I know. We got chatting and he asked me what I'd been up to. I told him that I was doing PCP (we have a mutual friend who's an ex-pcper) and his reaction was surprising. His response was that doing a detox/diet was a ridiculous idea because it was ultimately unsustainable and consequently any progress made was ultimately undone in the months after completion when we return to our old habits. I understand where he was coming from, especially when you see the amount of fad 'diets' out there - from Atkins to lemon juice, pepper and maple syrup - but I felt that he'd severely missed the point.

The reason that I'm partaking in PCP is not just the immediate rewards that present themselves 90 days after we first pick up a skipping rope (although of course looking and feeling great are a bonus), it's actually a long-term plan and the program itself is really just the trailer to the movie. By working hard for 3 months I'm hoping that I'll learn lessons that will stand me in good stead for the next 60 years.

The exercises are getting tougher (waddles and jumps are a killer) but rather than feeling hard done by, everyone seems to be embracing the challenge and enjoying themselves. It's great to see everyone feeling so positive.

Kung Hei Fat Choy

I've been rather relaxed on the blog front as it's been Chinese New Year here in HK. This means fireworks, parades, Lai See (red envelopes containing money) and LOTS of food. I've had friends in town as well so it's been pretty action-packed. Through-out the festivities I've stuck to the exercise and the diet though. It can be a little dull sitting in a restaurant while others are scoffing food around you, but I'm actually really enjoying all the PCP-friendly meals that I'm making myself so I don't feel too left out. The exercise routine looks great this week - tough, but interesting, and great to have some variety. Have included some pictures below of some of the delicious things that I've been eating (and some that I've sadly been avoiding!)

An organic farm that I found on Lamma, one of Hong Kong's outlying islands

Great vegetables and noodles, but rather oily unfortunately

Steamed greens. Delicious.

View of the beach on Lamma, including the rather ominous 'Monty Burns' style power station in the background...

A great lunch in a small fishing village called Lei Yue Mun. Not much I could eat there but smelt amazing! 

A good walk before lunch.

Lei Yue Mun

The bird market in Mong Kok

Bird Market

Live crabs at Lei Yue Mun

Fishermen at Lei Yue Mun 

Definitely not PCP friendly, much to my disappointment...

Fresh steamed prawns, fantastic!

Again, not for me...

Scallops with garlic, spring onions and noodles