OK. Time to own up. I blogged/bragged (‘brogged’?) about achieving my exercise and weight targets for August, September and October. I have to report abject failure for November.
😔
Obviously, starting on 4 November we had the national lockdown Mark II, so that meant swimming was off the agenda. I’m not organised enough for genuine open water swimming. I’m no Spartiate. That didn’t mean I couldn’t get on my bike. Especially as we have a perfectly good, safe-ish, circuit 2km away. I did that a grand total of once. I’m a master of putting things off. And that is just what I did.
It surprised me how little motivation that I had. Normally when I haven’t exercised or done something I should have done for a while, I get annoyed with myself and then crack on with it. This time, when I thought about it I simply was not bothered.
Also after 20 weeks of logging food and drink, I stopped about a week ago. With a complete absence of that internal nagging. I had already relaxed the calorie budget in late September, so I wasn’t surprised to see my weight had gone up a kilo in the last month. That’s not bad I suppose, but I do now need to get a grip or I will have to loosen my belt, and it’s that fat round the middle that it’s really about.
Not getting on my bike also meant that on many days I didn’t even leave the house.
The pool re-opens on Wednesday and I have sessions booked through Monday, excluding Saturday. I will happily jump on my bike again. So having thought that I’d regained my cycling mojo this year, I hadn’t. It was just a form of transport that gave me some additional exercise.
Strange thing the brain. Motivation is a complicated matter.
You will settle back into your routine, I wager. We are in lockdown again too and weather has turned for the worse. Cycling seems destined for the indoor trainer for now. While I can maintain only about 2/3rds of the mileage indoors as out, I keep cycling daily. I have two problems:
ReplyDelete1. It takes time to adjust from the quantity of food consumed when cycling outdoors to that of indoors. For whatever reason, I don't burn the same number of calories. Therefore, my weight increases.
2. When I am 20 miles from home on the bike, I must keep riding to get back. Indoors, I simply climb off the bike.
Motivation IS complicated.
That’s a very good point about being outdoors and 20 miles from home.
DeleteI need the motivation to get out in the first place. Whilst it’s good that the pool provides that, I need to find something independent to give me that drive when it isn’t available.
It's easier to put weight on than it is to take it off - tell me about it ! , I have a dog so that I have to take him at least once a day , but weight is a struggle .
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it just.
DeleteA dog is an idea that is beginning to gain traction in the Nundanket household, having been a total nicht nicht not that long ago.
The shorter days, wet weather and Lockdown 2.0 certainly don't help in getting out and about. I know it's certainly hit the amount I've been on the bike the past month or so. In terms of weight loss, I simply fast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, not eating anything between breakfast and the evening meal. Alongside of this I'm eating lots of homemade vegetable soups with beans for the protein, which has helped as well. My wife is amazed at how quickly my small muffin top has disappeared and I've already dropped down a notch on the belt.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is certainly hard for this sort of thing but at present it's working for me and I'm feeling better. It doesn't stop me thinking about food all the time though!!!
Good work on the literal belt tightening Steve. Fasting is a bit extreme for me, but it’s whatever works for you that counts.
DeleteCoffee is my secret weapon for weight loss. Keeps me going mid-afternoon for 2 calories. I’m also lucky that the missus likes making soup too. It never occurs to me to do it. I’ll make other stuff but soup doesn’t occur to me.
Congratulations, Steve! Sounds like you have this down pat.
DeleteMotivation is complicated, for me it doesn't help being middle aged, ceasing to be a manual worker means that I could previously always burn off whatever I ate and so ate whatever I wanted now I can't and restraint is difficult!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain