Blog to Fit » DF’s Daily Updates

Update on Dave Fowler’s Daily Updates

David Fowler — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:00:54 +0000

A cold, a trapped nerve in my back, a frozen shoulder, a hectic social schedule, a visit to McDonald’s, late nights, disturbed sleep, convenience foods, a changing life plan and no exercise to speak of other than walking the dogs.

Picture: ‘Playingwithbrushes’

My weekend has been shot to smithereens.

Some of what happened worries me but the rest really doesn’t (like the trip to McDonald’s).

Previously, such a conflagration of events has seen me hide in the hills rather than dowse the destructive flames and save what I can.

Today is the day after the several nights before, and what really interests me is whether I’ll climb back on the wagon quickly enough.

This is the point at which I’ve failed before.

I think there’s little to be gained by giving a daily update about my bad bad back and being unable to exercise, so I’ll save it for Thursday when all will become clear.

NOTE: We have another post for you today at Blog To Fit, just follow the link to read how anger can help weight loss.

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Dave Fowler’s Daily Update Number 9

David Fowler — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:18:36 +0000

Thursday 11th December 2008

Damn, slept in AGAIN. This time until 5.30. The simple fact is I’m getting to bed too late.

I woke up with a pounding headache and a sore throat from the cold I’ve been incubating for the last week. It’s been building for a few days now and is determined to derail my fine efforts to get fit.

Picture: Robert Brook

Despite the headache I hauled ass out of the door and went running. The freezing conditions made it treacherous underfoot and I had to do some mincing style running on the hilly bits. The butt cheek twinge in my left buttock has moved across to exactly the same place on the right side. I wonder if I have a muscle weakness in that part of my anatomy?

Yesterday
I did the body weight exercises yesterday but they were tougher because I hadn’t had a day’s rest in between.

Late afternoon I took the dogs for a walk in the woods and knocked out a very brisk walk lasting 30 minutes. As an aside…. It’s so dark in the woods around 4.30pm that I can barely see where I’m going, but funnily enough I encounter more people in the woods when it’s dark. It worries me a little

My eating yesterday, was similar to Tuesday”s but I was disappointed when I ate more than I wanted to at dinner. Getting presented with a plate piled high with food is a problem. Firstly I don’t like to see food going to waste and secondly I don’t like to insult the person preparing the meal by leaving two thirds of it on the plate. It’s not a problem normally because I’m usually the one that prepares and serves the meals, but yesterday my wife cooked and served the dinner – and I’m grateful – but as a result I ate too much.

Here’s Wednesday’s food intake:

0700 – Serving of Shreddies – whole milk and a teaspoon of sugar
1000 – Slice of chocolate cake WITH icing
1200 – Baked beans with two slices of brown oatmeal toast
1200 – OMG another slice of chocolate cake (no icing)
1230 – Cup of tea, whole milk, one sugar
1400 – Carrot
1700 – Good quality burger (grilled), mashed potato, carrots, peas.
1900 – Cup of tea, whole milk, no sugar
1900 – Apple

SOOO much sugar!!!

Weight Yesterday: 195.6
Weight Today: 195.4

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update Number 8

David Fowler — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:00:09 +0000

Wednesday 10th December 2008

So on Tuesday morning I weighed 197.4lbs

This morning I came in at 195.6. Amazing really but it’s supported by my measurements, so I’ll take it as it appears.

Describing to you my food intake might be a little meaningless because I’m guesstimating the volume of food I’m eating and trying to get somewhere near 2100 calories per day. But what I want to highlight is how ‘normal’ my diet is.

Picture: adactio

Although, whether my diet is normal remains to be seen. After I publish this I might be revealed to be some kind of freak. Oh, okay, so I’m already a some kind of freak!

0500 – Cup of tea – made with whole milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar
0600 – Cup of tea – made with whole milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar
0700 – A serving of Shreddies (these are NOT underpants – I’ll describe them if it turns out they’re only sold in the UK) – with whole milk
0700 – Cup of tea (MORE TEA!!)- made with whole milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar
1130 – Half a carrot plus some shreds of grated cheese as I prepare lunch (it’s sad but I was hungry)
1230 – Fried egg sandwich – One egg, two slices of brown oatmeal bread (oh yes! this was lovely)
1230 – Apple
1230 – Cup of tea – made with whole milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar
1400 – A carrot (as I prepare dinner)
1700 – Sausage Casserole – made with good quality pork sausages, onion, carrots, courgettes and a tomato based stock – served with mashed potatoes and garden peas (all on a child sized plate and not overflowing!)
1900 – A small (and thin) slice of chocolate cake (without icing)

I haven’t included water as I drink it regularly, but not as regularly as Tara.

Feel free to critique or comment on my diet as you see fit. I’m tough enough to take it.

I completed the body-weight exercises and there’s a slight improvement in the quality of the technique. The only other exercise I did was a very brisk walk with dog. 30 minutes pushing the baby buggy, with my youngest girl in it.

This morning’s run got blown out I’m afraid. I confess I slept in and got up at 5am instead of 4am. I’m not pleased about that. It’s slowed my entire day right down and I’m so far behind I’m frightened to think about it too much. But this explains why my update is sooo late.

The likelihood is that I wouldn’t have gone running today anyway. My left asscheek still has a twinge but it is getting better with the application of some rubbing compound. Actually that’s a lie, there’s been no ass rubbing going on (and I know you’re all relieved to hear that ).

To make amends, I’ll do body-weight exercises again today and I’ll run tomorrow.

So, there you go. I ate all that, did some moderate exercise and still lost weight. A fluke?

NOTE: We have another post for you today at Blog To Fit, just follow the link to the ‘Wednesday Weigh In’ and join our fun fitness community

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update Number 7

David Fowler — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:00:29 +0000

Tuesday 9th December 2008

I’m glad I don’t have to run today because I’ve got a twinge in my left hip/ass. I hope it goes away! I’ll be doing today’s body weight exercises mid morning and I’ll get back to the running tomorrow (as scheduled).

Picture: barbequeburger

Since last Wednesday’s weigh-in my weight has been frustratingly static around 197 (my official weigh-in weight) and this is why weighing daily can be so frustrating.

I still believe weighing daily is the best option for me because it reveals the trend. The trend is still down, but it’s too slow.

The last time I tried this I was dropping 2lbs each week without fail and at the moment I’m on track for dropping 1lb per week.

DC Urban Dad disclosed yesterday that he’s hit the wall. It’s tough when that happens (and I wish you luck DCUD) but for me, I hope this is just an issue of adjustment.

There’s enough data to tell me that my calorie intake is too high so I’m dropping it down for a while.

Taking the calorie estimation route instead of the calorie counting route isn’t precise but then it doesn’t need to be. As long as I’m somewhere in the region I can make some very quick adjustments, track for another twoweeksand see where I am.

Yesterday I weighed 197.4 – and increase of 0.4 from Wednesday.
Today I weigh 196.4.

It’s unlikely I dropped a pound of fat over 24hours – as that represents a 3500 calorie deficit which again goes to show how the scale can play tricks.

I’ll settle for a one pound loss again this Wednesday, but thereafter I want to be nearer the original target of 2lbs per week.

I’ve decided to share a little more information in my daily updates, like my daily weight figures. And starting tomorrow I’ll breakdown my food intake to show you just how relaxed I am about my food choices. Real life. Real food.

NOTE: We have another post for you today at Blog To Fit, just follow the link to a picture of Tara Cain’s crap

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update Number 6

David Fowler — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Saturday 6th December 2008

In Daily Update number 5 Avlor and I were wondering (in the Friday Comments), whether there was a link between my recent lack of sleep, my desire to eat sweet things and overeating?

Picture: alastairb

Having only six hours sleep and therefore being awake an extra two hours each day means I’m more fatigued for sure, but I wonder if it’s more to do with the timing of my eating plan. I set my eating plan at a time when I was waking around 7am, but now I’m waking at 4am I want to eat breakfast at around 5am two hours earlier than normal.

Come 10 am when I would usually have a snack, I’m actually ready for my lunch and my belly is telling me that a snack is not good enough, so I end up eating sweets to satisfy my desire for energy dense foods. It’s a bad move.

I’ll review my eating plan again over the weekend and see if I can adjust what I’m doing.

The exercise is going well and I’m not too sore now. I’ve managed to get in a couple of extra long extra brisk walks with the dogs while my wife has had a few days off work. Not having to take the kids with me means the walks are more vigorous.

Sunday 8th December 2008

A day without any structured exercise has meant that I’ve been better able to control my eating.

I haven’t had my body telling me it’s worked hard and therefore wants to be fed more.

I also managed seven hours of sleep last night and that had to help.

I’m looking forward to my Monday morning run, but I know it’s going to be freezing.

Monday 9th December 2008

It wasn’t as cold as I feared it would be when I set foot outside my door, but it was cold enough.

It was tough to get going this morning and it was tough to keep going.

I suspect it will be the same every morning now that Winter is starting to bite.

Running at 4am has to be amongst the most ridiculous ideas I’ve ever had. But the honest truth is, if I left it until later in the day it probably wouldn’t get done.

So yes, it’s tough but it would be tough no matter what time of day I did it. Might as well be first thing when I haven’t had enough time to talk my way out of it.

My biggest challenge today is to repeat yesterday’s performance with my eating plan, i.e. stick to it.

After yesterday’s success in that department I believe I can do it again today.

This has been a good start to the week.

Have a great week yourselves!

NOTE: We have another post for you today at Blog To Fit, just follow the link to read about Dave Wright’s food choices and how you can help him make better choices

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update Number 5

David Fowler — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:59:56 +0000

Thursday 4th December 2008

For the entire day yesterday I had the overwhelming urge to run, I have no idea why that was. I mean I wouldn’t say I love running, I like it well enough, but I don’t love it. Strange. Maybe I’m becoming Forrest Gump?

Picture: MindlessCreativity

Anyway I deferred yesterday’s bodyweight exercise right to the last knockings. My day was packed so tight I barely had room to stretch. So I didn’t. Anyway I was still sore from Tuesday’s exertions so the delay was justified.

In Wednesday’s update I reported that I’d rushed through the bodyweight stuff with bad form. In the comments Matthew Dryden pointed out that correct form is much more important than the number of repetitions, and of course he’s dead right.

My form was better this time but I still cranked them out too fast. Instead of doing my thirty repetitions in 2 sets of 15 I changed to 3 sets of 10 and it helped improve my technique… although I’m not happy that 30 push ups wipes me out these days – I’m not the man I was and sometimes that’s difficult to accept.

I’ve been struggling to keep up with my quota of sleep this week and Dad quite rightly pulled me up on that and I’m grateful. Last night I got a full seven hours in.

That said, it was the first time this week that I didn’t get straight out of bed with the 4am alarm. I felt very tired and this reflected in my run. I did it without stopping but I was slow and I wanted to stop half way through. Perhaps what I write next will explain it?

Okay, now for an admission: My eating yesterday was atrocious and I’m cross with myself. It was the sweet stuff and I ate with wild abandon. It’s not that I ate the sweets, it’s just that I didn’t stop after I’d had a few. I got to that point where I realised I’d harmed my progress….so I ate more! Not good enough!

Today and for the rest of the week I’ll stick rigidly to my eating plan. Sorry!

I won’t dwell on my mistake. The day has started well. Onwards and upwards.

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update – Number 4

David Fowler — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:15:34 +0000

Thursday 4th December 2008

Today is ‘Bodyweight Day’ so I’m going to defer the exercises until later on, even though I still got up early.

Running is a time critical activity. I can only run at two times during the day, either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, and I don’t really want to leave it until the evening because I know I’ll have a thousand excuses for skipping the run.

Picture: PoisonedMemories

This morning I had to fight the urge to go running again. It was tempting to put one in the bank over and above my intended three runs per week. It’s probably a good idea in principle and as the weeks go on it’s something I’ll consider doing, but for the moment I need the rest days in between the runs.

Pounding the hell out of my legs in the first week I get back to running is likely to do more harm than good. I’m still heavier than my joints would like me to be and the burden of the extra weight I’m carrying isn’t joint friendly. I need to let my body get used to the new way of things before I push it any harder.

The rest day in between each run will allow my legs to recover and I should see improvements in my speed and stamina a lot quicker.

Besides, it’s raining and it’s cold. So I’m staying in.

Don’t read on if you’re eating, you’ve just eaten, or you’re about to eat.

I was deliberating over whether to mention this at all, but it’s part of the experience so I think it’s justifiable.

My change of diet, my leap into exercise and my very early starts have shocked my body into emptying the bad stuff in a big way.

I’ve had a grumbling feeling in my bowel for the last few days and yesterday I became lighter as a result.

I feel much better for it and I don’t feel nearly so bloated.

Putting less food into my system should probably equate to less waste and the increased fibre intake should improve my digestive transit. Plus, I remember from last time I was on the health kick, that it felt good not to be so full of crap.

OK, that’s enough of that now.

Have a good day with your eating plans, and try to find some time to get a little exertion into your day. It all helps.

In the meantime I have to prepare to post some more pictures of myself in my garish shorts. Don’t forget to come back and have a look.

NOTE: The main post of the day is from Dave Fowler. Warning: There is some semi-nakedness involved

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update – Number 3

David Fowler — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:25:45 +0000

Wednesday 3rd December 2008

Woo Hoo! Once again I woke at 4am and got straight out of bed. I don’t know how I managed it as I didn’t get to bed till 10pm and even then I didn’t fall asleep for another twenty minutes or so.

I hit the streets again this morning and ran the mile and a half circuit around my neighbourhood. It was cold but at least it was dry, unlike my first run on Monday.

Picture: WiciaQ

It’s really very cold at 4am so wearing a woolly hat is essential, but I feel too hot in it after about half a mile. I need to look into how runners regulate their temperature – although it’s not a big deal as I’m not running too far.

I didn’t time the run precisely but it took about 12 minutes, which is fairly slow. The last time I was doing this seriously I regularly ran this distance in 10 minutes 30 seconds. To an athlete that would be slow but to a regular guy just turned forty it’s not too shabby. I’d like to get back to that kind of time now is not the time to push. For now, all that matters is that I run.

In the comments on Monday Urban Panther mentioned that she stretches after running rather than before and places greater emphasis on warming-down than warming up. I thought this was great advice so I followed it today. Thanks Panther.

Yesterday I did the body weight exercises element of my plan – 30 Push ups, 30 Dips and 30 Squats. I left these until mid morning as I just felt too cold first thing at 4am. I think it was a good decision.

I managed to complete the lot in two sets of 15. My form (the execution of the technique) was poor though. I rushed through the exercises too quickly because I was determined to not to fail. Tomorrow I’m going to do the same exercises in 3 sets of ten and I’m going to slow down – even if it means I don’t complete the desired number.

Yesterday, Lance, whose site has a great new look, mentioned how much squats hurt his thighs – and so that he doesn’t feel all alone… I can confirm that squats hurt my thighs too!

Another great start to the day. All I need to do now is stick to the eating plan.

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update – Number 2

David Fowler — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:13:56 +0000

NOTE: The main post of the day is Tara Cain talking about shoes, fat feet, clothes, and something about weightloss

If you like high heels, go and check it out.

Tuesday 2nd December 2008

Don’t worry the title isn’t related to the subject today. It’s just that I’m going to run out title ideas before I run out of energy.

Picture: SiwyBoy

As it happens, my energy levels are quite high considering that that I’ve managed to wake at 4am two days in a row – and I wonder if my increased energy is a reflection of the new habits I’m trying to build?

I haven’t had my stomach full to bursting for a while now and I’ve noticed that as a direct result I don’t seem to be feeling quite so lethargic throughout the day.

Yesterday I ran for the first time in months and today my thighs are a little sore, but not enough to give me any difficulty moving. There have been times in the past where I could barely walk after my first run, so this is progress.

Today I’ll be doing some body weight exercises around mid-morning to try to convince my body that it needs to hang on to what muscle I still have, while I get busy trying to burn the fat.

I’m not going to go crazy with it today. I can’t afford to do myself an injury what with having small children to lift and carry, along with all the other duties of a stay at home parent.

I’m aiming for 30 Squats, 30 Push/Press Ups and 30 Dips..

Today I need to exercise better control over my calorie intake. Yesterday I found myself hungry for too long and ended up eating a little more than I wanted to for my main meals. Being hungry for about 20 minutes before eating is ideal for me but yesterday I found myself hungry around 30 minutes before lunch and 50 minutes before dinner.

I didn’t pig out but I ate more than I needed to. Over the last few days I’ve probably been eating closer to a maintenance diet but I’m not going to worry too much about that now, I’ll just keep making some small adjustments.

Dave Fowler’s Daily Update – It’s Dark Outside

David Fowler — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:30:48 +0000

This is the first of my daily updates as promised in my last post where I talked about a sub-optimal approach to fitness and fatloss.

NOTE: The main post of the day is David Wright outlining his fitness plan.

Please go and check it out. He’ll never forgive me if I steal his thunder.

Picture: vanGTO

Monday 1st December 2008

At 4am I hauled my 198 lb carcass out of bed and put on my running gear. I didn’t know what the weather was doing and I wasn’t going to find out because I didn’t want to give it any rational thought.

I stepped outside and immediately felt the cold and the rain in my face. It’s December in England – of course it’s cold and raining.

I fully expected to be running in the pitch black but surprisingly the streetlights were all on – and it was nice that they were on but it really didn’t matter because I was going to be going running this morning come hell or high water.

I’ve been putting it off this last two weeks claiming that I didn’t have the time and I wanted to get my diet sorted first. Well, the diet isn’t quite there yet and not finding the time is a pretty lame excuse.

There were no excuses this morning. I was determined to start the first day of December as I mean to end the month – actively perusing my fitness and fat loss goals.

Woolly hat atop my head, I walked about thirty paces before breaking into a jog, and I didn’t stop until I’d completed a mile and a half.

This first run was a major victory for me. Previous attempts at getting fit have seen me quit my first run half way through and feel discouraged, but I’ve learnt from my past mistakes.

The brisk walking I’ve been doing over the last fortnight has without a doubt ensured that I was able to complete the run without having to stop and catch my breath. My legs didn’t feel fatigued but I felt a niggling twinge in my left butt cheek.

Getting out of bed at four in the morning and going running without any sort of warm-up to speak of, probably isn’t the greatest idea in the world. But it’s something that had to be done today. And I’ve done it.