The New Adventures of Roj - Journal Edition

A treadmill to far

Ok update time.

I now approach the end of the third week since I started hitting the Gym every day I can and I still haven’t lost any weight. But that may not mean that I’m failing. You see I am now standing straighter and can lift more on the weight machines. My gut also looks a little smaller and my one off 5 and a half kilometer stint has now become my norm.

My fitness is slowly progressing and I hope by the end of week 5 that I will be able to make it 6Km in the same amount of time. The most noticeable change however is my breathing. Its becoming deeper and more prolonged as I run. This is prof positive that I’m getting fitter and fitter despite what the scale thinks of me.

Still, in saying all this and keeping positive about my progress, I would have expected to have lost at least a couple oh Kg by now. It is a little disheartening that watching my calorie intake and regularly exercising is having little effect on my weight. But I press on.

Next week I will face one of my biggest challenges so far as I will be away for work for three days and have little to no Gym options where I’m going. Plus after driving for at least 4 hours each day I feel I’ll have little energy left to put much effort in. However I’m putting a few exercises I can do in my motel rooms together so I will report back next week on how I went.

I think my biggest enemy next week will be food. As My schedule is tight it will be hard to avoid drive throughs and eat responsibly. I am planning to at least deal with the snack issue before I set off with prepared healthy goodies to nibble on and extra water bottels.The important thing is to stay positive and not end up getting down on myself if I eat something I shouldn’t. That will likely lead to a full binge rather than a little deviation.

Well thats all for this post. Remember to keep getting off the couch.

Posted 7 months ago

2 notes

heath, food, exercise, living healthy, self improvement,

Moving on up

Wow it has been some time since I checked in.

You’ll be pleased to know I have rejoined the Gym and managed to go more than consistently. In the first week I went twice. The second three times and in the past week I have been every day from Monday. That means I have done a minimum of a 45 minute stint on the treadmill each day and have added weights two of the four days.

I have also started to log my food with a great App called My Fitness Pall for iPhone. Not only does this have a very comprehensive list of foods nutritional info, including calories, but also allows you to use the iPhones camera to scann barcodes of food you are eating so you dont have to guess or scroll though lists to find something close to what your actually eating.

So far I have been below my calorie goal all week so in a five week plan will have lost 5Kg. However so far I have not lost a bean. This has been very disappointing as I thought a week at the gym and watching what goes in my face hole would at least get me down 1Kg but maybe I need to think more long term, we shall see.

That said its not all defeat but plenty of da feet. You see as I may not have most any weight and my waist seems non the thinner I have noticed that my fitness is improving quite rapidly. The first week I could barley get through 3 minutes of running at a time before I had to slow to a walk and let my heart rate drop from 170bpm! All I managed in the first three days was a total of about 3kms in the 45 minutes I set myself.

Today I was able to manage 5 minutes at a time with a 5 minute walk. This menat that I managed a total of just over 5Km in the 45 minute period and it was only after the 30 minute mark that my heart rate moved above 165bpm.

In conclusion both my muscles are remembering what they use to do when I ran a lot and my heart is starting to get stronger. This is very encouraging as my main goal in all this, other than wanting to loose my traveling companion (my gut), it to be able to run 10Km in under 1 hour. It’s something I use to do almost without breaking a sweat and though I know that my age would make the lack of sweating unlikely, I know I can do the distance again.

Well thats all for this log entry. I will post again, maybe in a weeks time with an update on my progress.

Posted 8 months ago

fitness, blog, dinner, diet, exercise, progress,

I hate stupid decorative steps.

Why is it every time I try to get myself in shape I injure myself. Are forces conspiring to keep me fat so I’m easier to catch during a zombie apocalypse or is my own subcontous sabotaging me. Who knows. All i do know is that if i ever find the man who decided to add an extra semi-step in doorways (not a necessary one but one that is obviously an aesthetic choice) I will punch him full in the face before breaking both his ankles so he can feel what its like.

There I was minding my own business, feeling good about having exercised and made a wonderful slow carb meatloaf, as I stepped out of my apartment into the wet cold night to go pick up my wife and BANG! Down I go in an blaze of, lets face it, awkward glory. Twisting my ankle before landing face first in a puddle.

So now I’m on the couch with a pag of frozen peas on my leg, hoping the damage is minor. Worst is it’s my right foot so if it’s bad I wont be able to drive and wont be able top work. So Mr Architect, watch your back!

Posted 10 months ago

me, twisted ankle, ouch, fuuuuuuuuuu,

Bad Carbs Bad Carbs, what you gona do? What you gona do when they come for you?

Today is my cheat day after a pretty good week sticking to whats good for me. Though there may have been one slip up involving a a craving and two pieces of Whitikers Peanut butter Chocolate.

I chose to Friday for a cheat day as I find it easier to stick to the diet on a weekend than on a week day. Also its payday so, BURGERS!

THat said I still did a pretty intense work out tonight involving arms/shoulders and back with a little boxing tainting thrown in. I feel it will help keep my cheat days in check as well as taking what ever free time I have to get in some sort of work out. Sore, tired and ready for the weekend.

Now to go hunt some Pizza.

Posted 10 months ago

me, heath, slow carb, cheat day, living healthy,

Ok lets start with my dinner tonight. What should I have, hmmmm. I know PIZZA!

WHAT?! ARE YOU MAD?!

No really I found this great recipe for a slow carb crust using cauliflower.

You Won’t Believe it’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower*
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley

**pizza or alfredo sauce

toppings (make sure meats are cooked)
mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).

Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.

Place under a broiler (grill for the Europeans) at high heat just until cheese is melted **.

Notes:

*I use frozen cauliflower prepared according to package directions. After cooked and slightly cooled, I shred cauliflower with a cheese grater, and then measure for the recipe. (Don’t pack down the cup with cauliflower. Just fill it with a spoon or the cup itself.)

** The pizza sauce I use is Great Value Pizza sauce from Wal-Mart. At only 3 net carbs per quarter cup, you get a lot of punch for little carbohydrate pow.

*** You can try re-baking the pizza at 450 once you add toppings if desired, but the crust is not quite as crusty. There is a minimal difference, so see what works best for you.

Nutritional Information for the entire crust:
calories: 434, fat: 25 g, carbohydrates: 8 (net), 13 if counting all, fiber: 5 g, protein: 41 g.

Nutritional Information for one serving: 109 calories, 7 grams fat, 2 net carbs, 1.5 grams fiber, 10 grams protein.

Oh yea Pizza! And its not even a cheat day. Now we’re talking.

Posted 10 months ago

2 notes

healthy pizza, pizza, slow carb, better me, me, dinner, food,

Stop being a Twat about it and get off your ass.

Ok time to resurrect this blog from oblivion. I started it off with good intentions of sharing myself some more while using t as a diary for trying to loose some weight. It was all fine and dandy. I even went running regally. Then I got sick, really sick. Problem is that it became a great excuse to give up. So I stopped posting and exercising and giving a damn about what I ate.

Now I’m back to being a fatty and my pants are tight round the waist and I shudder to think how my cholesterol is looking. So It’s back to it. Clearly my biggest weakness is food. I love food and it’s too easy just to get burgers or pizza. So in my quest to better myself I will be seeking out better choices in food that don’t leave me looking elsewhere.

Onward to realistic goals and tasty snacks that wont make my heart explode!

Posted 10 months ago

health, me, better food, better me,

So it’s been a while….

I’m still a bit sick. My fitness update is that I’m not fit and nothing had happened in my life since my last post.

Ok so that may not be 100% true but as it stands I have been very sick with a terrible virus that causes me coughing fits. Those fits lead to me getting spitting headaches and momentary impered vision. Not to mention the disrupted sleep patterns. I am now on a course of antibiotics that I hope will knock the bastards for six and get me back into my old jovial self.

All in all the last week has fallen into a void and I have little recollection of it.The one thing i have had to look forward to however is that at he end of this week we will be house,cat and peacock sitting for a week at a very good family friends house. Its an amazing house on a large property and will be like a holiday in a flash hotel for us. I look forward to the change of scenery and hope it aids in my speedy recovery.

I guess thats all for now.

-Roger

Posted 1 year ago

sick, antibiotics, house sitting, recovery, journal,

Hello Bronchitis, I see you’re still here this morning…

Very well I guess I have no choice. Let the coughing begin. Now where did I leave my water bottle.

Posted 1 year ago

I have already forgotten what it feels like to not cough

Posted 1 year ago

Sunrise
Roger Baillie

I’d love to say I feel a lot better today but thanks to my incessant cough and achy body I struggled to sleep last night.

That said things are improving. The aching has eased, indicating that I’m getting better, and due to my lack of sleep I made this little tune in Garage Band on my iPhone. I call is Sunrise because the sun was comming up when I finished it.

PS. It might have taken me a few hours in the early morning but its not long to listen to. Maybe you’ll like it.

Posted 1 year ago

my song, sunrise, illness, journal, lack of sleep,

Cough, splutter, choke, gasp……

A plague on you both…..

My wife has come down with a nasty cold in this start to our autumn. And I’m afraid that I too have begun the nasty coughing and feel the ache of illness creeping in.

All we can hope for is a good supply of movies and tea with honey to get us through.

Unfortunately this may be detrimental to my diet and exercise routine but I hope to over come it soon. Of course this is just a minor step back but as of now I will travel to the markets to purchase supplies of soup, cough medicine and movies.

Fair the well and should we not make it though, I care for you all.

-Roger

Posted 1 year ago

journal, me, ill, sick, cold, flu,

Run Fat Boy Run!

Ok, time for a fitness update. It’s been a week now since I decided that I really needed to do something and that being 99Kg was not good enough and that I need to get under 90Kg to be happy.

Last week a went running/walking 3 nights and cycled to town and back on Monday (as mentioned in my previous post, visit my blog if you missed it to see the awesome photo from our day on the water).

So what have I achieved as of right now? It would seem nothing. I am still 99Kg. But I did just go out for a run and can truthfully report that I ran pretty close to half of it.

Ok it’s not all that impressive but it’s better than I could manage last week so I must be improving, right? RIGHT?

There is one thing that I haven’t properly addressed from last week and that’s diet. I clearly eat too much fatty food. That’s the problem in my job, it’s easier to go drive through than find something good for you. Now I’m not making excuses but that is just the way it is. If I’me going to achieve this then I need to get serious about what I eat as much as I exercise.

Soon I will be off to pick up my wife from the Gym. When I get home I will cook a dinner of Chicken, Beans and Broccoli. This will be the staple of my meals from to day on and I will cut as much sugar out as possible too. I’ve done it before with great success and I will do it again.

This is my last week at 99Kg.

-Roger

Posted 1 year ago

1 note

running, walking, fitness, diet, 99Kg, loose weight, fat boy,

Wow what a day,

Yesterday I had the day off to spend with my wife and spend it we did. We woke up at a respectable time and I prepared our bikes while Nelly made us sandwiches to take on our trip.

We loaded up out back packs, donned out helmets and headed out in to a beautiful cloudless day. The ride along the waterfront to the CBD was a chance to soak in the warm sun and appreciate just how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful place.

The reason for our trip was that last year we went on a Dolphin Safari trip into the harbor with Explore NZ and due to weather conditions and time of year didn’t see any. So we had been given a voucher to return and try again.

It was the perfect day for it. We spent most of our time on the bow of the large catamaran looking out into the waters of the Hauraki Gulf. As we had seen little on our last trip we were ready to enjoy the boat ride around the harbor no matter what. So, expectations lowered, it was even more exciting when we found our first small group of Dolphins. They seemed just as excited to see us as we were to see them as they farted around the front of the boat. There’s something special about interacting with lager wild animals that is very special and when they are as intelligent and graceful as these magnificent creatures it’s even so.

The highlight for a lot of people on the boat was when we came across a mother and her baby playing happily along the side of the boat and we could hear them talking to each other just under the waters surface in high pitched almost songful notes.

We were out for around 5 hours on our trip and saw quite a few common dolphins and Gannets. The Gannets were spectacular to watch as they dived for food. They can dive up to 140 KPH and they certainly put on a good show for us, disappearing like a bullet into the sea before pupping up whilst downing a fish.

We were told by the crew on the boat that the best time to come out is around August when the waters the coldest because not only do you see Dolphins but there is a good chance you will get to see Whales as the feed while migrating the Wast Australian Current. We are already looking to save for that trip.

It was all in all an amazing day and, though I’m a little red from the sun, feel so refreshed. It was also great to see that our harbor is healthy and supports some amazing marine life.

If you ever are in Auckland I highly recommend you try out the Explore NZ Whale and Dolphin Safari.

-Roger

*note: Pictured is my wife, Nelly, waving her arms to get the dolphins to leap out of the water for us. Seems to have worked :)

Posted 1 year ago

dophin, explore NZ, Auckland, NZ, Explore, Auckland, me, journal,

This weekend has been exactly what I needed to refresh myself.

Saturday was a long, hard day as my brother had scored me some new lowered suspension for my car. I wont bore you with specs and brands but the important thing is that they cost me nothing but my time. We worked on it all day and by the end I was exhausted but incredibly for filled as an enthusiast for my car and as a man having done something that always makes me feel good. I despise the word mucho but I struggle to find another word to describe the feeling.

I guess there’s something primal in men to do with working with tools. It’s almost meditative to have a task that consumes all your mental and physical energy.

Anyway I awoke this morning with a smile on my face a slightly swollen hand, from some over enthusiastic hammer work, to one of the most beautiful days of the year. It was warm but not hot, hardly a cloud in the sky and nothing to do but enjoy it.

My wife was performing in town, presenting a demo for the gym that she teaches at, so I didn’t really get to see her until early afternoon. We had lunch and headed out for our weekly walk. It was great. We have the best conversations on our walks and we stopped along the way for a coffee at a cafe and just soaked in how beautiful the day was. On the way home, near our house, a brand of soft drinks was giving cans away as for promotion so we garbed a can each and enjoyed them in the car as we cruised along the waterfront on the way to the gym for her class.

It ended with a nice cooked chicken and salad dinner along with a move. It was almost a perfect day. I’d even say weekend but I still have one extra day off to complete it and we’re ending it with something very special But more of that tomorrow.

-Roger

Posted 1 year ago

caffe, beautiful day, cars, workshop, coffee, time together, walks, me, journal,