It’s been a good week diet, training, exercise and body fat wise. My fitness is good, I haven’t used the car this week and used my bike for longer travel and walking for shorter travel, thanks to the warmer weather.

Weight – 12.1stone (same as last week)

Body fat – 11.9% (1.2% down)

How I feel – Strong, fit and healthy. Cardio and fitness is good. Weight training I’m focused and pushing harder. It’s been a good week!

What can I improve on? Cut out the big bag of crisps at night and my diet will be as good as it will get. Everything else I feel I have done well with.

That’s all for now… Next week I’m away so lets see how it goes in 2 weeks time.

Before I start typing my thoughts on this, I just want to state that each individual is different and may have different struggles. I am not trying to put anyone down and I’m fully aware that some peoples comforts are food and some people struggle with motivation for different reasons. I would still like these people to think now before it’s too late and the old problem is healed by time and the new problem becomes depression from your physical self. – Reaching Goals Together

The most common and obvious question people ask me is, ‘can you help me lose weight’? There are many meanings to this so to start, lets break it down.

Weight is a measurement of the overall mass of your body. Adding or removing clothing, hydration, exercise, muscle mass, body fat etc can all determine and alter your weight daily and so we need to figure out what you are suggesting by the word weight. Almost all the time people are referring to body fat, but this is a whole different thing.

A boxer may dehydrate themselves to reach a target weight before a fight, this is losing weight, but not fat.

Body fat is the amount of fat you have on your body. That’s simple enough to point out right? So if someone wants to drop body fat, then sacrifices will have to be made somewhere along the line. In very simple terms your body requires energy, which is food and your body will expend food as a form of energy, i.e moving, breathing, eating, toilet, bodily functions and so on. If you expel more energy than you consume, you will lose weight. Although it’s not that simple.

If you have a consistent diet and you are maintaining your weight with little to no exercise, then by reducing your calories and/or adding exercise to your daily routine this will help you lose body fat. If you do start training with weights and even increasing your calories slightly, then you may maintain the same ‘weight’ but your body composition can change. How will you determine the difference between the two?

Rather than just using weighing scales, add another form of measurement on top. For instance, photos, mirror, skin fold callipers, fitness notes, tape measure, body stat machine and so on. This will give you a better overall and easy idea of where your heading.

Let’s talk about sacrifices and what is important. In my opinion, there is nothing more important than your own body and mind. Your body is your vehicle and without it, life can be challenging. Just like your means of transport, car, bike, horse and so on. If they are not working, then it massively sets you back. If you don’t maintain your materialistic vehicle then things will break down. Age will factor in with this, but maintenance and looking after your vehicle will certainly benefit you in the long run, just like your body.

So what are you willing to sacrifice? You may have to remove the foods you enjoy, recreational drugs, the people you hang around with, the daily routines you follow and all sorts of things that you have been doing for years without realising. The sacrifices will be tough, but once you get into routine, your thought process will change and you will understand that the sacrifices are worth it.

The most important thing to do when you want to lose body fat is to stop eating the junk you keep ramming into your mouth. You can’t have your cake and eat it, unless you are happy with how you are. Obviously obesity brings all sorts of medical issues along with it such as diabetes, painful joints, cancer, stroke, depression, lack of motivation etc. I’m not trying to upset anyone, these are facts and sooner or later, you may have to face them. People ask me daily, how can I lose weight and I answer them by replying, ‘ what are you willing to sacrifice and how badly do you want it’? The majority of the time they are enthusiastic during the conversation and then go back to the same old ways, which leads to the same old body. It isn’t easy, I know this. I had to change my life around completely and gave up everything I enjoyed for around 3 years. No alcohol, cleaner diet, weight training, walking and so on. The sacrifices are real and you better be prepared to face them if you want to make positive changes.

When people ask me how often I train I will say 3 x 45 minutes per week. Although this is true when it comes to weight training, I also add in some other activities where possible. If I can walk somewhere then I will, If I can bike it, I will. I class these more of ways to commute rather than training. I do not count my general walks or bike rides commuting as a workout, they are just a means of transport. It certainly burns more calories and helps my internal organs function better with the fitness, but it’s not what I class as working out.

I weight train 3 days a week for approximately 45 minutes per session. Monday, wednesday, Friday.

Day 1 – Back, Biceps Abs

Day 2 – Chest, Delts, Triceps

Day 3- Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

I also do 30 minutes casual walk on the treadmill every morning, fasted.

I bike as much as I can or walk where possible rather than using the car.

I keep my diet clean, although I have been drinking more alcohol over the holidays, yet I still stick to my diet. (Alcohol has set me back a lot this last couple of months, it is poison after all)

And that’s sort of it. 3 x 45 minute weight sessions and the rest are activities I do. I try to do this religiously and anything else on top is classed as exercise. These are just standard things I like to do to keep my body functioning the best I can at this point in time.

I’ve gone well of topic so lets bring it back. What will you sacrifice?

This all comes down to you and what you are prepared to change in order to become the better you. Changes will not happen unless you want them to happen. No Personal Trainer can help you if you don’t have the desire to positively change yourself. I can write you a diet plan, draw up a training program to suit your goals, drop you a few messages to keep you on track, but at the end of it all, it’s down to YOU! I totally understand you don’t know where to start and that’s ok. How’s about turn the TV off, get off the sofa and go for a walk around the block. Does that sound like too much hard work? If so then you don’t want to change and you will make up all the excuses possible until the day comes when your health is so poor that you have to do it or face the consequences. It’s harsh, yet true. If a PT has several clients to look after, then they simply cant keep ringing you, going over the same things constantly if you cant reach within yourself to make the change.

I feel that I’m having a bit of a rant there and I’m not. All I’m trying to do is plant a seed in your head and give you something to think about. If you do want to make changes then your thought process right now should be to get up and go for a walk. If that’s not possible due to limitations then stand up and sit down on the sofa or a chair 20 times. There’s your starting point. The next step will be alcohol and nutrition. Alcohol is poison and not only does it grab you and consume your desire, it is also killing you slowly from within. Yes, I do like a drink and as my diet is clean, I really feel the negative effects it has on me. Nutrition, remove as much sugar from your diet as possible and cut your portion size down. Eat more fibrous carbohydrates (google fibrous food and educate yourself at your own leisure) less saturated fats and trans fats (google) consume healthy fats such as polyunsaturated, monounsaturated (google). Consume more lean protein, chicken, white fish, eggs etc. If you are looking for plant based alternatives like me then search my blog for plant based diet and I have pages based on that.

There’s some things for you to do, if you can’t exercise then change your diet. If you cant do that then educate yourself with the internet. There are things you can do right now unless you have excuses. The question I keep asking is, what will you sacrifice? Yet the real question should be, how much control do you have over yourself?

That’s enough for now. I’ll update this in a couple of weeks and if you are still reading this thinking you need to make a positive change to your life and you still haven’t then you need to question who’s in control of you. Don’t let the excuses control you and do something about it. You have one body and when it’s gone, it’s gone. At least try to maintain it the best you can.

Do it for you!

If you need any help, e-mail me HealthandHIT@gmail.com If you need group support, we can do that too. #ReachingGoalsTogether

There’s not much to say here as it’s my first week properly back at the gym and the weekend before we were on holiday. As a quick guide I have run a bodystat and my weight is 3Lb but down that means nothing at this Point. Next week will give a better view of how things are going and my plans ahead. My strength has come back quite well and so has my Cardio, fitness levels. I will update more next week. I’m also only on plant based protein and nothing else supplement wise.

Weight 12.1st

Bodyfat stat 13.2%

This year has flown by and I’ve neglected my blog due to using social media for quick and easy posts. I do hope to get back on my blog to just update myself on a weekly basis. The last 6 weeks have been all over the place due to the school holidays and my lack of consistent training and diet has definitely set me back. I’ve stuck to my plant based diet, but a lot of it has been processed quick food. I am back on my healthy nutritious diet now though, so hopefully things will improve for me.

I went on a bike ride to the gym today and it was a real struggle. My fitness is down and I was exhausted trying to train legs. This will all come back within a week or 2 once I flush the alcohol out of my system, get some good sleep and clean my diet up. I haven’t put any ‘weight’ on over the holiday, but I have lost strength. Once I start training well again, my weight will go up a bit and my body fat will most likely stay the same. I’d like to say I’m holding lots of water, but it’s definitely fat. It’s ok though, the trade off with memories outweighs the slight set back in fitness. A good 4 weeks and I’ll surpass the beginning of the holidays.

I still have a few weekends away with he kids and that will involve drinking a few pints, so I can’t give it my all until after that. In the mean time I can though and that’s what I plan to do.

Each Saturday when I’m at home I will take my measurements, a picture and my weight.

Each gym session I will use a note pad to write down my weights, sets and how I feel.

I will prepare my meals with set intervals to help me stick to my diet.

Let’s see how this goes…

But it’s easy sitting here typing all this up. I’ve been here many times before and had set backs. I do have a reason to push hard this time though and it will definitely pay off if I can stick to it. Just before the schools broke up, I was in a good strong fit place. I was carrying a little bit too much fat, but I was strong and active. Strength and fitness wise I was in a good place. I need to get back there first…

As 2018 comes to and end, I would like to sit down for a short while and reminisce on what stand out points have happened this year in regards to my fitness journey. I thought it was a quiet year, yet it turns out to be one of the most important years to date.

In no particular order, here’s what’s been going on;

• Changing my diet to a plant based diet
• Attending a seminar at Dinos gym with Cedric Mcmillan
• BodyPower and meeting some more pro bodybuilders as-well-as getting some more DVDS signed
• Attending Cain Leathem seminar at Temple Gym
• Meeting Eddie Hall at Bushbury Gym
• Attending a Dorian Yates Seminar at Temple Gym
• Invested in supplements to sell
• Invested in my future with tools for the job (bands, bodyfat machine etc)
• Joining a new gym and working from there
• 
• Invested in myself with qualifications

Food and hygiene

LV2 gym instructor

LV2 indoor cycling instructor

LV2 circuits instructor

LV3 personal trainer

Spending time with friends in the gym

It’s been a great year when it comes to progression. I’ve finally passed my qualifications, which was a big thing I wanted to accomplish. My health is good and I’m in a good place physically.

I’m not sure what 2019 is going bring, although I do know that the more I do next year, the more rewarding I will find it. I have some plans for 2019 and I have wrote them down. I’ll see how it plays out and that’s it for now.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2019…

I’m currently 18lb down and I aim to drop another 10lb over the coming weeks/months. As people know that I’m on a vegan, predominantly plant based diet, people assume that it’s the ‘vegan’ food that has allowed me to drop body fat. I just want to clear a few things up from my experience.

The secret to losing body fat is to burn off more calories than you consume.

Now lets elaborate on this concept;

I can maintain my body fat level by eating the same amount of calories as I burn off and this can be done a few different ways.

If I need 2000 calories to maintain weight*, then I need 2000 calories, simple enough concept right? But what about ‘nutrition’? I can get 2000 calories from Walkers ready salted crisps all day as they are vegan, but my strength and health will drastically suffer. If I eat 2000 calories from organic whole plant based food, then if done correctly, I will maintain my strength and body fat, whilst staying healthy.

*Many factors vary into this.

Just because I’m on a vegan diet doesn’t make dropping body fat any easier for me. I actually find it more challenging to drop the body fat, as the food I eat usually contains more carbs and fat than protein. However, when I get it dialled in, I can continue to gain strength and drop body fat. I’m 18lb down and I have not lost any strength at all and if anything, my focus, mind to muscle connection, wellbeing and strength have all improved. My energy levels are much higher than when I were on my old diet and that has led to me taking on more challenges and not burning out.

If I were a meat eater and enjoyed eating meat, I could get all my protein from lean, high biological value foods such as chicken, white fish, eggs and so on. I don’t want to do that though and so I have to find alternatives which usually have higher levels of fibre in them too. I’m really enjoying my diet and that reflects on my progress so far.

Let’s recap.

• If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
• If you consume the same calories as you burn, your will maintain weight.
• If you consume less calories than your maintenance amount, you will lose weight.

And that’s open up a whole new chapter I need to quickly mention.

I use the term ‘weight’, as muscle and fat are ‘weight’ according to the scales. If I said fat, that could be misleading as you could be consuming junk food and gaining fat, rather than muscle. Also if you are in a calorie deficit, you could be eating way too little and could lose muscle rather than fat and the scales would still say you are losing weight.

So nutrition is key for everyone! Designing a nutritionally well balanced diet, accompanied by exercise, is what will make you lose body fat. Eating a plant based salad diet will help you lose body fat, but it will also diminish your gains and muscle mass. For me personally, this defeats what my goals are.

I advise you to spend some time looking into the importance of macronutrients. Find out how carbs, fat and protein work on the body and what they do. Once you understand the basics of the 3 main concepts of food nutrition, you will start to think about how different foods can affect the body and mind. This will naturally lead you on your way of discovering healthier, more nutritionally dense food, than you may be having now. It all plays a part on the human body and mind, so spend some time grasping the basics. Once you have a basic understanding of nutrition, it will help to grow your body and mind.

If you like meat, dairy, fish and so on, you already have some great sources of protein as long as it’s organic. Eating animal produce that is chemically enhanced, defeats the object of living a healthier life in my opinion.

Example of a simple diet. (Not vegan)

Meal 1 – 60g oats + scoop of protein powder.

Meal 2 – 250g chicken + veg and 40g brown rice.

Meal 3 – 3 whole eggs + 3 egg whites + banana pancake.

Meal 4 – 150g White fish + 40g Quinoa + veg + grapes.

Meal 5 – 80g chickpeas + 80g Lentils + 80g black beans + veg.

Meal 6 – 2x Wholemeal bread + 200g cottage cheese.

Now go away and work out the fat, protein and carbs for this food. I’ve gone over the top as it’s just a wild example. Just use it as a stepping stone when it comes to working out calories. I have also added meat, fish, dairy into the meal idea as the people who ask me say that they really enjoy eating meat and they couldn’t live without it. I’ll save a vegan diet plan for when it’s needed in another blog post.

It’s not difficult when you put the time in and figure out what works for you. Good luck!

I’ve been gradually getting my head back on track over the last few weeks. It’s been a tough year, although I am back on track, I still need to make some adjustments. I know I’ve been eating too much and that’s fine. Now it’s time to start casually measuring my daily food intake. I aim for 2250 calories per day for a week and make further adjustments on a weekly basis. I believe I’ll be around 1800 calories a day when I’m dieting hard.

I’m dieting for me to promote myself and help others along. I have some big goals for the distant future and the best way for me to gain followers, friends and clients is to do it myself first. I have a rough goal of around 2 months of consistent strict diet or around 3 months of a slow, relaxed diet. Fortunately it’s a lifestyle for me and I know what I have to do to get there. It shouldn’t be to difficult, depending on how life unfolds during the months of cutting.

I’m slowly getting on top of my social media. It’s very time consuming and quite difficult to keep on top of it all. I’ll do what I can though and over time it will grow.