21 down to 17

Before I show any pics from 21 down to 17, I wanted to talk a little about how I did it.

Well the first thing I did was to think about the main reasons I had put on all this weight. From my last post you'll see that they were socialising, lack of self control and lacking a sense of attachment that a previously thin person may have had to their fitter self.

Socialising. Simple one this! I just made a decision to only drink once a week. This might sound like a nothing call and one that most sensible people make without thinking, however for someone like me who went out as much as they felt like it was the first step to real self control, that being the second requirement.
Also wrt self control I started to educate myself wrt nutrition, what my body requires. Then restricting those things that my body didn't require. I'll post a load of links soon to websites that contain some really great information as well as ways to track your progress.

Buying a cross trainer was also a good step, I started working out on it 3-4 times a week on variable programs.
(I have actually worn out 3 cross trainers since then having traveled about half way across europe in km)

By doing this I got from 21 down to approximately 19st but it was a hard slog, I needed a more structured support system and some expert guidance to go along with it.

So I decided to join weight watchers.

It's maybe hard to understand but going to my first meeting was a big deal for me. I could have chosen to do the online system in the privacy of my own home but I wanted to push myself out of my confort zone.
So I went to my first meeting absolutely the only bloke in there, surrounded by middle aged women talking about the menopause or their youngest having trouble losing baby weight etc...
But what was important was the weigh in. I knew that every Thursday I would get weighed and that if I kept to the plan I would loose.

So to move on that system got me down to 17st before the plan stopped working for me. Suddenly my weight just hovered a few lbs up or down but woufld not budge. Here are some pics of me at around this time.....

 

It was at around this time that I got into snowboarding. I actually tried it while I was up around 19st but just wasn't capable of holding and edge with all that weight on my legs. Now that I was lighter I found that I could at least have a go. So my snowboarding became a way of focussing my goals. By my next holiday I will be X lighter.

By the time I went to Sauze d'Oulx in Feb 2011 I was just over16st.

Next up...................A big stumbling block and a change of tactics