I changed more than my pant's size

Having finished the 90 day course I'm filled with many thoughts.  Egg whites in milkshakes, avocados and tomatoes for breakfast, chicken and lamb wraps, V-sits and 8 minute abs, skipping ropes and light jogging, bicep curls and push-ups, curried vegetables and steamed fish, new shirts and new pants, thinner face and slimmer legs, no beers and no sugars, no chocolate and no pastries, lot's of positive comments and many people asking questions.  All those things are my new lifestyle. Not just a 3 month change, but a new way of eating, exercising and looking after myself, and a new way of looking and feeling. It's been a very positive change and one that I am delighted to have achieved. As the photos reveal I have lost a lot of weight, 20 kgs in total. Whilst I felt better and could see the change in my body, and knowing 20kgs is a lot of excess fat to carry around, it wasn't until I visited my doctor that I felt I had achieved my real purpose.

Late last year I was told I had developed Type 2 diabetes and had hypertension after a long life of obesity and over eating. I was put onto blood pressure and diabetes medication. With the help and guidance from my wife Tracey, I looked at the medium term prognosis of my condition and realised I was a very strong candidate for liver disease, heart attack and blindness. Something had to change. I looked around for a sensible, balanced and practical solution. A friend at work showed me the PCP website and I decided to do the program in a first stage effort to fight my disease. My main aim was to lose weight and from there see if I could at least arrest the acceleration of my problems. Given the PCP is fundamentally a low sugar and low salt diet the results have been far better than I had imagined.

Yesterday I got the blood test results from my doctor and can report with huge delight that my blood sugars have fallen to normal levels, my blood pressure has fallen to low levels and my waist line is now in the safe zone for heart health. I am now off the medication and can be classified as not a diabetic or suffering from hypertension. Of course I need to monitor myself for the next 6 months to ensure they don't rise again, but my doctor is confident that I will be fine if I stick to my new lifestyle. My motivation to stay on track is clearly a very strong one.

To say I have done a great thing for myself and for those that love me is an understatement and I must thank my wife Tracey in particular for doing it with me and being so encouraging and supportive. My family and work friends have also been great supporters. I would also like to thank Patrick for his commitment to PCP and to the education of anyone that comes in contact with it. I know we have all learnt valuable lessons about diet, nutrition and healthy living, but I have also found a way back from serious health issues and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Below you will see a few shots of me pre PCP, posing (take a good look cos they will be coming down very soon), and in a pair of pants I  wore only 3 months ago.

Day 87 - Super sets

Those coming along in the group behind us will read a bit about the super sets in the last week. They are great.  Great for a change of routine, great for a burn, great for fatigue and great for letting you realise how much stronger you are. Seriously, 2 months ago, 4 chest dips was just about fatigue stage for me, now it's 5x12.  You can look forward to the super sets knowing you will be able to push through them, you will be ready, IF you keep doing the work now.
So, it's Sunday morning, 8.00am and I've already done the day's workout. Nice to have the gym to yourself and a good feeling being up and at it whilst others snooze. Kind of like a secret session that gives you extra power. Too over the top? Sorry, just getting very into the new lifestyle.

Good luck for the rest of the PCP, look forward to blogging out in 3 days.......

Day 80

Sitting here Sunday arvo on day 80, Tracey and I do our workouts together on weekends, usually first thing so we can relax into the rest of the day. It's great doing the sessions each weekend with someone else and has been a great motivator for both of us. She's in the chicken whipping up a meat and veg curry which we take to work for lunches and was just saying how these routines won't change in 10 days time. We have a food court at the bottom of our building with 5 well known food chain businesses selling lunch and coffees. Despite the wide range on offer, you cannot buy anything that isn't processed except for a piece of fruit or a fruit juice. You just can't get real food, so lunch and breakfast will need to be always brought in.

 Been getting some stiff and sore back/shoulder muscles in the last week as the intensity ramps up. Nothing unbearable, just letting me know they are there and reminding me to get to bed. The only thing that fixes them is a good night's sleep.

When I started this I was quitely hoping to get below 100kgs and secretly dreaming of getting to 95kgs which would mean a 20 kg weight loss. I'm pleased to announce I hit 94.8kg this morning so have hit the dreamed of target with over 10% to go. That's sweet. What's also sweet is being able to shop for clothes in Asian without being sent out the door because they can't fit me. Now I can try on whatever I want! And aren't I having fun doing that. Whilst I have brought a few things recently I'm a bit concerned because the jeans I bought 2 weeks ago are now too damned big. Might have to wait a while longer before I fully kit up.

Home straight

Us Day 75 guys are like the Year 12 kids at school. Into the last big effort before graduating, getting the special attention from the teacher, fine tuning things, and talking to new kids at school. This PCP thing is growing and is getting very well known around the financial markets here in HK. My gym in the city here has a few more people jumping rope and one guy (Alex) doing PCP. He's a month behind us and is really enjoying the results and the discipline. He's 100% committed and really enthusiastic, a pleasure to chat to about the PCP. He asked me today about the after life and whether there is any program or specific plan that we are given upon graduation. I didn't think there would be, we've learnt enough about our bodies, our foods and our exercise to be at least fully aware of what we are sticking in our mouths and what needs to be done as a minimum exercise level.
Personally, Tracey and I will be continuing along the same line as the one we are on. We like cooking our food, we like our exercise and the endorphin kick we get, and we still love the wacky enthusiast on 8 minute abs. To think we'd be going out and woofing down 100's of beers, cheese laden pizzas and 3 course meals is simply wrong. Whilst we've both enjoyed great success on the program with body shape and healthier bodies, I still  have a way to go. I'll be getting the full check up at the end of the month to look at body fat levels, blood sugars and blood pressure. I can still see some floppy bits and would like to keep going until they are gone. I know my body fat is still above "good" so I'll be rolling on until these things are healthy and satisfactory.
 I'm sure we will feel entitled to eat and drink without rules on the 28th Sept, but I also know we will be watching what we eat and working out the next day. A short burst of indulgence will be OK. In that sense the last 2 weeks don't really feel like the end approaching, but to use a trite cliche, more like the beginning of something permanent.

Vodka indulgence

Hey everyone, hope you'll going well. My indulgence was vodka. 3 decent pours of ice cold vodka with fresh lime and soda, and lot's of ice. It was really good and given I indulged with Tracey we ended up singing and dancing until 1am.  Fun times indeed until the next day. Fuzzy, sluggish and very disinclined to exercise. It's an obvious trade off with alcohol. Short term joy but medium term pain. With a hangover you just want to eat the wrong foods and do nothing all day. We've known that for years and have always put it aside as a side effect of having fun, but we now wonder what's more fun.......a night on the booze, or a day feeling perky, fit and ready for anything. Hmmm, will see if I can limit the intake after Day 90.

Rolling on through Day 50 is good as you can now sort of see the finish line less than 6 weeks away. I hope the improvements continue at the same rate as I'm getting a really strong motivational kick every week with the changes I'm seeing in the mirror. I'm also finding the food and exercise routines have become the new normal. I especially like the feel good effect of the workout each day and really look forward to punching it out, hitting the showers and then winding down at the desk. 8 minute abs are great and still make me smile with his infectious language and enthusiasm. Boom, there you go.

Good eating everybody.

Swimming in it

I took the opportunity to swap 1500 skips for a session in the pool. I've been a keen swimmer for decades but have found it a limited pursuit here in HK and particularly since PCP began. It was great to get down to the Wan Chai Swimming Pool and bang out a few laps. I thought it would be easier given I'm living a Spartan lifestyle and weigh about 10% less. What I found was the lap times were the same, the muscles shouted at me at the same times, but the aerobic aspect of it was so much easier. I hadn't really thought I was getting a lot fitter by skipping, just going for fat burn, but the program has definitely picked up my stamina and aerobic capacity. If anyone else has cut a regular exercise out like running, cycling, swimming, etc. to do the program I'd love to hear if you notice any changes going back to it for a session.

happy 40th

Hi team, sorry I haven't blogged for a while but I can't do it at work and just don't get around to it at home. That's not to say I don't follow you all cos i can get GMail on my phone and read the dailies religiously. You ask a lot of questions for me and talk about the things I notice as well. Anyway, I'm going pretty well. Haven't missed a workout or broken protocol so pretty pleased with that. I've lost a bit of weight and had to buy some new shirts and a pair of jeans on Sunday as all my stuff is very loose. I only bought a few things as I think I'll have to go again at the end of PCP and don't want to spend too much. Great feeling though getting into clothes I've never looked at before. Whilst I still have a lot of fat hanging around, it does appear I've shifted a fair amount already. Certainly getting comments to that effect pretty constantly now.
I really like the 8 minute abs and do it every day. Amazing difference as to when I do them. First thing in the morning I get quite a sore neck but doing them relatively pain free. If I do them after work the neck is stronger but the abs notice it a lot more. If I do it at the end of a workout it's serious ab burn. I like the idea of doing them before or after work as I workout at 12 noon each day and that gives me a feeling of "turning on" the muscles twice a day instead of once.
The skipping has improved, now up to 250 in one go so getting through them a bit easier. Have sorted the tripping issue....you have to concentrate on each one and adjust when it starts to clip your shoes. Not much else to add except to say there's a new man emerging and his wife, kids and doctor like what they are seeing. A healthy long life is the aim and I feel myself improving towards that goal every week.
Stay with it team and look forward to the half way mark on Sunday.

That awesome indulgence

I did go after an indulgence on the weekend, opting for a bowl of pavlova after lunch on the back of a boat.   Great setting, great friends and great weather, all combined to help me take on a bowl of sugary, creamy pavlova. It tasted awesome and seemed to satisfy me completely. I could have demolished another bowlful, but didn't. The interesting thing was how I felt about 1/2 hour later. In a word..... not well.  I felt a little sick, a bit nauseous and had to lie down for a little nap.  I have no doubt it was the sugar overload that did it. I really don't won't to feel like that again so I suspect Patrick's plan was to achieve just that....nice one Patrick.
Regarding the workouts, I'm going pretty well. I haven't missed any of them or crimped on any of the sets. The skipping seems a little tedious but does have the effect of getting me amped up and ready to hit the rest of the session. Tracey and i are up to 150 jumps at a time and will be looking to move that to 200 soon, so that's a good improvement.
My daughter has just left to return to Aus so Tracey and I can get back into hide out mode and focus on the program exclusively, as opposed to trying to make restaurant meals and day trips work for us.

Can't believe we are a 3rd of the way through and marching towards the half way mark. Keep the focus team, we are going beautifully.

skipping along

I wrote a while ago that I was struggling with the skipping. I'm pleased to say it's going a lot better. At the gym at work they had heavier ropes, actually made with plastic tubing and bigger handles. They are much better as the rope tends to fall down over your head under its own momentum. This gives it a steady rhythm and allows me to focus on the jump and not the swing. If anyone else is having trouble and hitting their feet all the time then try a heavier rope. Tracey and I now do our jumps 100 at a time and will be moving that to 110, then 120, then 130 and so.  Keeping it achievable and adding a few more each week let's us build it up without frustration and failure.
Talking of frustration, I had a bit of it last week with my weight. I didn't lose any for 7 days. Having lost 6kgs over the first 2 weeks I was surprised and disappointed to find no change for a whole week. I know we aren't supposed to focus on the scales (except when weighing food) but it still rankles that I didn't get any lighter. Hopefully that will change this week or I'll need a good explanation.            
All else is going well, not craving anything and sleeping pretty well. Had some good comments at work that I'm looking better which is nice. But I have much bigger plans for this body and am working to truely surprise people when I go home to Australia in October for a week.  Onwards and upwards (or downwards with the body size)!

2 weeks of the new world order

It feels like I've been on this regime way longer than 2 weeks. I guess that's just adapting to a new life without things that I normally have. A drink after work on Friday night, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich after the gym, a piece of chocolate a night, etc. etc. It's also trying new things like cauliflower in tomatoes and anchovies, skipping EVERY day, making dinner lunch and breakfast at night and having a growling stomach at 4am.  I'm hoping this starts to feel normal. It definitely feels good and right and even smart, and I'm feeling a sense of purpose and meaning in going about this daily discipline. Just like 1000 jumps seems like a huge number, the 12 weeks this goes for seems a long time, but if I break it down to one week at a time then I'm sure I can roll through it. We all can, we all should because we all want to. I'm already getting some results, I've lost 6 kgs, gone down a notch on my belt and look a bit thinner. I've also lowered my blood sugars which is a real bonus.
Good things take a while to acquire, I'm looking forward to putting the time into this as it is a really good thing.

First week down

Like most of us , I have actually enjoyed cutting down the quantity of food I eat and also not drinking or eating bad things. Tracey and I are doing plenty of weighing and measuring as we organise our breakfast and lunches for tomorrow, Day one of the regulated intake. Does anyone else think it's a lot of food to get through? Bfast for me is 2 pieces of toast, an avocado, 2 eggs and a glass of milk. That'll shut me up. There's a few people at work who are on PCP, one at 35 days and the other at 83. Both said eat it all, I'm going to need it. Ok, I'll get through it.
I like the exercises. Lunges, squats, pushups all suit me as a bloke, but the skipping has me stumped. I can't get past a run of 25 or 30 jumps before I hit the feet. I've been blaming the rope, but Tracey has the same one and gets through the numbers without a miss. So it's just a guy thing I think. I'll stick to until I can skip like a 10 year old girl in the schoolyard. (Or maybe Mohammed Ali in training).
I've already knocked back a golf weekend invite as I fail to see how you can go to Shenzen with 7 men and not drink beer and eat Chinese food, so I've told them PCP is my priority. They were more amiable to that excuse than I expected and I actually have a few interested in the program now. Hey Patrick, do you offer commission on new sign ups? I've been doing some mental sums on this little business here and I reckon you could afford it.

Tracey and I are doing week one photos on Saturday and will put them up for all to see. Until then, keep it tight and keep it honest.

Countdown

I'm in and loaded up, ready to kickoff the new me.