You have the right to remain silent….

The last seven days have hardly been a banner week in my “weight riot” quest.

That leftover Halloween candy really HAS been haunting me.

Plus, yesterday, whilst up picking up a box of a dozen fresh Krispy Kreme donuts for a friend of ours, we got sucked into their “buy a second second dozen for a dollar off” sale. Meaning WE had quite a few to munch on. Which we did. Or, rather, I did. Scrummy as hell. I just have NO willpower in the face of such sugar-laden delights.

In fact I ate so many donuts I really ought to arrest you in the name of the law!

No gym this morning, but a weigh-in registering 207 lbs, a gain of 2 lbs. Serves me well and truly right doesn’t it?

Necking it

I woke up with no neck pain so headed to the gym this morning.

Thought it prudent to take it easy so all I did was cycle a ’simple’ 8¼ miles on the recumbent bike.

Not before my ‘downstairs’ started to give me little achy grief though.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. It all feels very frustrating right now, I know that.

Pain in the Neck

No gym yesterday or this morning

Could hardly lift my head off the pillow yesterday thanks to what seems like some kind of neck injury, a problem which remained in situ all day, and is still nagging me this morning

I feel like my Hugh Hefner bobblehead after a rigorous head bobbling, as if my neck can’t hold the weight of my fat head.

We went out for lunch yesterday and I couldn’t even enjoy it because of the pain and the apparent inability to sit up straight. Even sitting here typing this is proving, lets say, problematic.

Bollocks.

Turning back the clock

The clocks going back this past weekend has really thrown my body out. I was really restless yesterday and suffered another poor night’s sleep last night.

As a result, the gym seemed like a real effort this morning but I did manage to get there for a while and do 10¼ miles on the recumbent bike.

That was it though. My groin became really painful and I wasn’t about to risk making it any worse.

I forgot to weigh myself when I got home today… which is probably for the best.

I entirely blame the children who live in and around our neighbourhood for the (probable) increase in my weight this week.

Every Halloween we normally get between five and seven hundred trick or treating beggars . Accordingly, this year we purchased the pre-requisite 650+ pieces to hand out.

Only to have just 325 kids call. By a considerable margin our worst ever turnout since living here.

Meaning we have 325 pieces left over. They won’t keep until next year so…….

Yes, it’s a bugger.

Anyone for another fun-sized Snickers?

Sink or Swim

Another 2½ hour workout this morning, consisting of:-

• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 8¼ miles on the recumbent bike
• 1 mile on the expresso bike
• 30 reps on a pair of the weights-circuit machines
• 20 minutes sauna
• 30 walking laps of the pool + exercises

I even tried swimming this morning. I don’t swim so this was more problematical than readers may realise?! I managed about half a length using a swimming stroke I doubt even the disabled olympics organisers would recognise.

Whens Day

Big 2½ hour workout this morning, consisting of:-

• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 9 miles on the recumbent bike
• 1 mile on the stationary bike
• 30 reps on a pair of the weights-circuit machines
• 15 minutes sauna
• 30 walking laps of the pool, interspersed with MANY water exercises, including a new one highlighted on last night’s “Biggest Loser” show. I call it the “kicking and screaming” movement, except I don’t scream.

Much.

Basically it involves stretching out, hanging on to the side of the pool with your fingertips and then thrashing your legs up and down like crazy. Couple of minutes of that and I was futterly ucked. Fun though. Will have to do it again!

Scooby Tuesday

No gym yesterday but a brisk walk around the neighbourhood again in fine fine weather. Probably a couple of miles all told.

Made the gym this morning though. 10 minutes on the elliptical, 8 miles on the recumbent and 30 reps on a couple of the weight machines. No pool today, not in the mood.

Weight-in yesterday revealed a figure of 205lbs. A 1lb gain since last week.

My body shape is changing though, so I can only think that I have a LOT of fat still turning to muscle, self-delusional fool that I am!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

A lazy Sunday afternoon is indeed what we have planned… especially after what was a comparatively busy little morning.

The weather today is beautiful. Low 60’s temperatures and clear blue skies make for a climate it’s almost impossible NOT to walk in.

We first went for a stroll around the neighbourhood and a little way down the riverfront, accumulating 2.54 miles (4.08k) in the process.

When we got home we picked up a camera and headed out on another escapade, this time grabbing lunch on the way (a review of our salubrious dining choice will appear shortly on wifey’s food blog The Veggie Option)

This second walk used up a further 2.4 miles (3.86 k) of shoe leather, meaning we totalled just under 5 miles today (8k). Pretty good… and, dare I say it, without a single knee issue to hold me back. Hoorah!

It’s a Gymboree!

Yes, yesterday I did go to the gym.

10 minutes on the elliptical followed by 7 miles on the recumbent bike.

That was just a brief visit, but I went again this morning as well…

10 minutes on the elliptical, 1.5 k on treadmill (while I waited for the recumbent to be freed up), 7.5 miles on the recumbent bike, 1 circuit of the walking track, plus 30 reps on 3 weight machines (same ones as Tuesday)

Then I headed for the sauna to spend 15 minutes sweating some pores before going in the pool for 30 walking laps broken up with exercises under the water.

A most productive and satisfying couple of days only undermined by my visit to the colon specialist who not only has scheduled me for a full colonoscopy in January but will be also be administering four sessions of coagulation therapy up my rear end, commencing in November. Joy.

Walking in Water

Made it to the gym again this morning.

• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 7¼ miles on the recumbent bike
• 30 reps on each of the shoulder press, the seated dip and the lateral pulldown

I am deliberately avoiding some of the machines on the mini-weights circuit as I’m of the opinion that they inadvertently contributed to my knee issues a few weeks ago. Maybe I pushed myself too hard or had the weights set too high? I will only go back to them when I feel 100% convinced that my knees are completely over the problems I was experiencing.

I am also a little mindful of the notion that maybe some of the machines that put pressure (and/or created strain) on my middle torso (the leg curl, leg press & ab crunch) may also have played their part in creating my issues ‘downstairs’ . Varicocele or not I intend to temporarily avoid those machines and see if I feel a difference in and around my groin.

Then I went back to the pool – via a relaxing 15-minute sauna – and completed 40 walking laps interspersed with simple flexing/bending exercises. For the laps I did 10 with my hands folded across my chest (no resistance), 20 with my hands dragging in the water for some resistance and finally 10 with a swimfloat held on front of me for ‘maximum’ resistance. That final 10 was a bit of a killer but I felt a certain achievement once I’d done them.

40 walking laps = 0.54 miles… but it feels a LOT further underwater let me tell you!

As you may have surmised I feel a little more ‘into’ my workouts lately, which I know is a good thing.  Time, as always, will tell if I can remain ‘in the habit’ and not become disconsolate with it all again.