Post 29 - MonaVie RVL continues

Newsflash......

Following a chat with Caroline this morning I have decided to continue on the trial as a maintenance programme for an extended period.

I find it so easy to use and it fits with my pretty busy work lifestyle as I can take a shake for breakfast on the way to the gym and make a second shake up as easily as making a coffee at work during the day so where I previously skipped meals I can now fit a shake as fuel into my routine without any real thinking or planning.

Evening meals are not really any different to before as my wife makes pretty balanced fayre anyway and after 8 weeks I have got used to water instead of coffee so no real issues there.

In fact I have found a change in my taste buds as I am able to drink the odd black coffee without sugar instead of white with a couple of sugars and I am honestly not craving chocolate and sweets but I might be getting that fix from the chocolate flavoured shake anyway??

So I will continue for an extended period and continue to update the BLOG with progress as I go.

The target of achieving under 15st as a steady weight is still very real and ideally I would like to maintain 14.5st going forwards.

The main benefits (other than the fact that everyone is noticing how well I look) is that I dont have to go looking for clothes that fit - I can find them on any rail in any shop! I was in severe danger of only being able to find clothes in BIG and TALL if I carried on the way I was heading!

I am riding motorcycle trials again after a bit of a lay off with a knee problem and I have so much energy that I want to continue practising after the events rather than just heading home to rest my aches and pains - It's all good!

Here is a photo of me in action last weekend!

Post 28 - Eight weeks on MonaVie

So what does 8 weeks actually look like?

After 8 weeks on the MonaVie weight management program I have done pictures and measurements to see just how things have changed and this is what it actually looks like!

Before and After photos

These photos reflect a total weight loss of 35 lbs.

I started out on the 1st of Jan 2012 weighing 18st 2lbs and today, 8 weeks later I weigh 15st 9 lbs (thats a total loss of 35lbs or 15.87kg)

....and here's the proof on the scales;

.... and in actual measurements I have lost a few inches too!

I measured myself when I started and again today

Start ...v...... 8 weeks

Neck 17.5 16

Chest 48.5 42

Waist 44.5 40

Total loss = 11.5 inches

I will be coming off the MonaVie system next week (I had 2 months worth of the product on the trial and I have about enough for 1 week left).

I will then go onto a sensible balanced diet plan in conjunction with exercise and over the next couple of months I would like to steadily lose another stone to reach my 14st 7lb target weight.

I will continue to keep this blog as a record of how things go but I expect things to slow down considerably and I am aiming for 1-2 lbs per week whilst working a little harder in the gym to build a bit of lean muscle and try and move that difficult belly and love handle areas around my waist as well as trying to flatten the man boobs!

I would like to thank Caroline Sandiford for getting me on the trial - it has given me the kick start I needed to get things going this year and if you are serious about moving some weight you could do a lot worse than giving MonaVie a try when it is released in the UK in March/April 2012.

Post 27 - end of Week 7

Another 2 lbs lost this week and although it represents the smallest loss in a week since I started it is still moving in the right direction.

I am now 15st 12lbs (222lbs or 100.7kg) and that relates to a total loss to date of 32 lbs (14.5kg) in 7 weeks .

I had hoped to get to my target weight of 15st by April when I started this program which would have meant losing 1st per month but I am ahead of that schedule and feel confident that I will achieve it.

Post 26

Not too much news this week.

All going well with the diet and MonaVie program and feeling that the gym work is continuing to have an effect on my general health.

I rode my first motorcycle trial of the year on saturday and after a 5 mile walk with the dog in the morning and a rather muddy event in the afternoon i still felt like I had energy to spare (I even stayed after the event to do a little more riding - which makes a change for me as I am normally too tired and just want to get on my way home).

I have had a bit of a treat over the weekend with an evening in the pub with family and friends on friday (managed to keep to Vodka and slim line tonic) and on sunday I treated myself to a baked Camembert with bread.

All the same, that was supported by good exercise and nice healthy meals like steak and salad and lamb and vegetable stew.

I have managed to achieve a significant goal in that I have a couple of shirts that I bought a few years ago that I haven't been able to wear because they were so tight it felt like I was wearing a straight jacket. I tried them on yesterday and to my amazement they fit comfortably and I am looking forward to lunch with friends this weekend when I can wear one of them!

I hope that tomorrow will bring a reduction in weight that will mean that I am 15 stone something for the first time in some years - roll on tomorrow morning!

Post 25 - End of Week 6

I thought that this week had gone well as I was feeling the difference in my clothes (especially the ease that my trousers could be fastened) but I am really pleased that I have broken the 2 stone lost milestone!

This morning's weigh in revealed a loss of 5 lbs this week and a weight of 16st (224lbs or 101.6kg)

That is a total loss of 30lbs in 6 weeks.

Understandably I am really pleased and to celebrate on Valentines day ................ I went to the gym early this morning ;0)

Post 24

Last week was a positive one, I managed to get to the gym each day and I changed my approach a little to ensure that I was focussing on fat burning rather than weights so each day was focussed on light cardio activity split between rowing, cycling, cross training and running - yes running on the treadmill.

After more then a year of intermittent pain in my knee I have felt more and more confident on the knee over the last few weeks and have increased to duration and intensity of the effort that I have put through it.

This culminated at the weekend with a planned 6.5 mile route during which I ran for about 5 miles and only walked (at a good pace) for the significantly steep up and down hill sections as these are the areas where I put the most weight through the joint and I want to build up to that gently.

I have found 4 loops from home that I will use for different types of running that are 3, 3.5, 5 and 6.5 miles in distance and offer varying levels of difficulty from flat to quite hilly so I can determine what I want to do based on how I am feeling and what I want to achieve (also how much time I have available too).

Food feels like it is no longer an issue. The MonaVie RVL regime is just the norm now and everyone keeps asking whether I am hungry - the simple answer is no! I feel full and satisfied and reaching for an apple or a low fat snack bar is just as easy as the chocolate that it has replaced.

My evening meals don't take much thinking about as they are pretty much the same as before with the exception of a reduction in carbs (potatoes and bread mainly are now off the menu but everything in moderation and I know I can have a small portion if I want).

My craving has been for cheese so I have allowed myself a small amount - this helps me stay on the wagon to be honest as I think if I don't allow myself something I want it will be worse than the impact of having it in small amounts.

Drinking alcohol was never going to be an issue as I'm not much of a drinker but cutting coffee out has given me the biggest boost. I don't crave it now and having a bottle of water on my desk is just as easy and keeps my hydrated where coffee really didn't.

I don't know if I have lost much this week (weigh in tomorrow). 3 lbs will take me to the 2 stone lost milestone, but what I do know is that all of my clothes now fit comfortably and most of by belts have moved up a notch or two so the physical results are starting to show as much as the scales suggest.

lets see what tomorrow brings!

Post 23 - End of Week 5

Weigh in day today and I am at 16st 5lbs, which means another 3lbs this week and a total loss for 5 weeks of 25lbs.

So current weight is 16st 5lbs (229lbs or 103.8kg)

Back to the gym this morning and felt OK - managed to run for a full 30 mins on the treadmill at a reasonable pace so I am feeling more and more confident in my knee and hope to start road running properly as soon as the nights start to get lighter which I have found in the past to be my most effective way of increasing my fitness and weight loss so I am still feeling positive and committed to staying on the road to thinness!