See “We” Know a thing or 2 about the subject and we figured that for the new year, there might be some people out there searching for weight loss tips
The Pic That Started It All, Gaz @ 34 Stone
1: The most simple tip to lose weight EVER is “Eat less and move more” – Common sense I know but it’s what every single weight loss plan is based on, TRUST ME !
2: Control the AMOUNT you eat at each meal time – make sure your meals are low in fat. This is not set in stone for instance you might want to also think about calories or portion control.
3: Get weighed – Measure your body, hips, thighes, chest, arms, neck……what can be measured can be managed. Always weigh-in on the same day in the same clothes on the same scales at the same time of day.
There is no point starting on a weight loss plan unless you get weighed first. This is very important. You need to be able to monitor your progress to know how well you are doing and that any changes in your lifestyle and eating are reaping the rewards or where you are making mistakes.
4 Keep a food diary – write down what you eat and what exercise you have done. Make sure you look at Calories n vs Calories out and try to ensure that Calories out is MORE than Calories in – If it helps you write down your feelings.
5.Smarter Shopping The golden rulehere is to NEVER EVER go food shopping hungry. You make the decision to eat biscuits and crap food’s when you buy them in the shops, not when you take them from the cupboard. Don’t buy them in the first place.
6, Make a Goal list – write down achievable goals.
If my first ever goal, at 39 stone, was to ride to Blackpool in 3 hours and 10 mins, I would have failed on my journey VERY early on, so my goals were simple ones like tie my shoes, shop in regular stores, as the express train that is the 39 stone cyclist picked up speed and rumbled on, the goals got bigger, harder and more focused, to the point where I can now average 20mph on the bike, I can do “Joel Lane” and not only do I shop at regular stores, I even tie my shoes in them while shopping in the bargain basement section and stuff FITS
:0)
Good luck with your own journeyin 2012, may it be a happy, healthy and successful one
Gaz
Manchester to Blackpool 2011 gaz in radioshack kit
Kind is well kinda underplaying 2011 if I am to be honest.
I sit here, writing this, recalling what 2010 was like at the same time last year, climate change experts tell us that we are doomed to years of frozen tundra-like winters but as early as November 2010 I was on my MTB with studded tyres and 6 layers of clothes.
Cube Ltd Team 2011 in the SNOW !
In 2011 I have not yet used my MTB (Other than when first new) let alone installed the studded tyres, in fact I sit here typing looking at my Single Speed with it’s 23’mm tyres thinking that I’m pretty glad we missed out on the forecasters Minus 25 degree temps …… If tomorrow it snows and drops to -25 then please feel free to blame me.
EDIT:
The day after I wrote this in draft, I awoke to find this
Luckily it was gone from the roads by the next commute, so the record of not needing tyres any wider than 23mm this winter is in tact.
The Good:
Where to start….Well
My speeds have shot up this year, I am averaging a smudge over 16Mph for the whole year.
My Manchester to Blackpool time was the quickest ever time on a bicycle for me (At the time) and I was able to suffer through that riding on the front for the majority of the time.
Manchester to Blackpool 2011 Gaz in christie kit
I have now hit my goal weight and STUCK to or just under but never over it for well over 6 months.
I was able to challenge myself on the Bruntwood Ellipse, something to this day that is the proudest moment on a bike for me, over a route I NEVER thought I’d make.
Bruntwood Ellipse 2011 Finish Line
I havewon further awards in 2011 for my services to weight loss and attempting to use my web presence to inspire and help as many other people as I can.
Ironic !
Starting with applying for my provisional license in late October I not only passed the Theory in 2011 but also the practical test, meaning 7 weeks later I have a full driving license, it was pretty challenging but I’m so very proud of what I achieved.
I have brought to the fore my eating disorder and I initially tackled it head on, proving to myself that I’m not scared any more, I have however put in on the back burner while I waited for professional help, after all , I have no idea what I’m doing :0)
That help started a couple of weeks ago & now I am pretty confident I’m gonna kill it, when I do I will be able to fuel my cyclists body correctly ….When that finally happens ……Sit back and watch me FLY !
Yet despire all the above, I noticed a post where I said I felt like I was having a Cavendsish-style start to the year, where I had a couple of scrapes, got caught jumping a red light at a left hand turn and forgetting to unclip, despite such a torrid time, I picked myself up and achieved so much, so the message here, is NEVER give up.
There were also some smaller, more personal goals achieved this year, like Riding Chunal 3 times in 2 weeks, keeping up with a Pro-cyclists on my Single Speed, Riding Roller coasters, Raising over £300 for the Christie Cancer Hospital.
AND In the last days of commuting before finishing for the year, I managed to equal my fastest time ever @ an average of 19.4 Mph, it was cold, SOAKING WET
and what made it even more amazing ? I was on my Single Speed
The Bad
Well, now I have listed the good, the bad REALLY doesn’t seem that bad at all.
Of course there was HUGE disappointment when I was not selected to carry the 2012 Olympic Torch , like I said at the time though, I have won more on this journey by getting my life back and inspiring others every single day than to worry about running with a torch for 10 mins, sure it would have been the perfect chapter to end my weight loss story before my new journey of beating an eating disorder starts but it doesn’t matter , if I had to chose the Torch or helping inspire people here daily , then I chose here.
The other “Bad” of 2011 was missing out on a chance to reclaim my Pride of Manchester trophy at the Manchester BE Proud awards, I received many nominations , however I failed to make the short list, there is always 2012 to get that trophy back.
My blog is here as a beacon to light the way for fatties who , like I used to be, simply need to see what can be achieved, just because your super morbid obese doesn’t mean you cant workout (Though as always, seek medical advice first).
It’s there to celebrate life, the achievements , however small, that we concur, life is short, we need to celebrate it, embrace it and most of all, LIVE IT!
Where Next In 2012:
Well, if we believe the Mayans then the world will end in 2012, so, just in case, I have some super big idea for this, possibly, the last year you an I are on this mortal coil 🙂
I have rejoined the “Helmet Camera” brigade, I have started treatment for my eating disorder, I have my application primed for a new job,I intend to get out there and do plenty more motivational speaking, I’m in talks with a national TV channel and there are ongoing negations to get my skin removed, added to that I have a few offers of sponsorship for this blog, im not jumping into it, Im picking the one(s) that’s RIGHT for me, this blog and its readers , oh and I have a few races as well as charity rides planned for the year ahead, also I’m hoping to, once again, ride with a pro cyclist, this time for more than a few miles, PHEW , it’s gonna be a busy one.
As in the mean time, I intend to take a much deserved rest, for all of you who ate too much over Christmas and need a little inspiration then sit back, sound ON and watch this video.
Watching programs on TV such as “Ross Kemp On The Front Line (Afghanistan) has given me a WHOLE new perspective on the armed forces and weather you agree with what they are doing or not, you cant help but respect and admire there courage.
So forget all the X-Factor bull-crap at this time of te year, lets work together to get a WORTHY number one this year.
Wherever You Are’ is a moving love song written by Royal Wedding composer Paul Mealor for the choir to sing at The Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance. The music is set to a poem compiled from letters to and from the servicemen and their wives on a 6-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. It is the raw emotion of the song that has touched so many of the British public.
….This isn’t my now customary look back over the year.
What it is, however, is a look back at what goals I have achieved over the course of 2011, with one eye on what my 2012 will become.
Why the random pic? Well the Spanish national team score lots of goals yeah ! so ………. (Oh and I have NEVER EVER Wore a soccer jersey so small)
So, what have I achieved ?
Lose 40 Pounds in 2011 – Done………In fact I SMASHED this one some time ago,Thanks Paul for the challenge !
Finish the Mottram Moor Climb in under 7 Mins (Current PB 8 Mins 22 Seconds)…..In Febuary I got this down to 5 Mins 22 seconds, In July I did it in 4 mins 58 seconds !
Weigh less than 200 Pounds DONE
Wear Medium Tops – DONE
Wear 15″ Collar Shirts – Done
Promote cycling and weight loss to a room of Morbidly Obese adults ….. In May I did a motivation speaking gig….more to come I feel.
Never gain more than 1 pound in a week in 2011 – Done …
Ride a roller coaster again …Done with style and gusto riding everything at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, something I’d not done BEFORE I was obese.
Fit in a size 34 pants DONE
Commute 250 Miles in 5 days………..Done but bloody HELL it HURT !
Get an average speed of over 20 MPH over a 10 Mile commute….Done JUST !!!!
Get my sprint speed to over 40 Mph (Current Best 36.8Mph) – Done 43.3 Mph June 2011
Ride Joel Lane at least once a week…….Done, now the icy is starting to appear I’m not risking that descent again now until the weather warms and the risk of ice goes.
If I don’t lose at least 2 Pounds in a single week I must wear THIS at least once the following week……….I did this until I wasnt safe losing that much weight.
Cycle 15000 Miles …..Done !
Cycle 20000 Miles………Im 4 miles away from this with 5 commutes left, Im calling DONE and this is pretty much the one that means the MOST !
Admit I have a eating disorder Done
Try something I really didn’t like, for a second time – Done
Ride the Majority of the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach – DONE
Improve on my Quickest Normal Commute 17 mins 52 Seconds (Feb 2011)……… as of December 14th it now stands at 16 mins 51 seconds.
——————————————————————————————————-
Wow, I wasn’t expecting that MANY of my personal goals to be met tbh, I thought I’d had a good all round year on the bike but I didn’t quite realize just how “Successful” I’d been, It’s just set up 2012 to be one HELL of a tasty year for some new goals.
Stay tuned for my year in review and last weeks (and next) ride reports, there is some good stuff planned for both !
…Shattered, Olympic Gymnast Craig Heap once said to me with regard my chance of carrying the Torch “You will piss it Gaz”
Well this week I found out that I had NOT been selected, was pretty gutted at the time BUT my journey has won me more than being part of the Olympics, its “won” me my life back and that is worth SO MUCH MORE than anything else.
I Hate My Uncle….
…John, for I took him out on Monday and after 18 miles proceeded to get a puncture in BOTH wheels at the same time.
So the next day…
…I disowned him (well I CBA changing 2 tubes) and took my Single Speed……..Only to get a puncture in that too, was a HUGE bit of glass, then yesterday my car too had a puncture, maybe I was too harsh on Uncle John ?
Oh and to add insult to Injury Evans Cycles are now charging £8 for ONE Innertube….Edinburgh Cycles £3.99 !
Every day this week I have been soaked and battered by harsh winds, its been a real challenge but a fun one if truth be told.
Later on in the week I noticed a car holding back when he could have passed, I was holding 25Mph getting ready for a climb, just as we hit the hill he pulled along side and shouted “Very impressive mate, you were touching 25Mph all the way along that section” , I have no idea who that bloke was but I wanted to say thank you to him for giving me a much needed boost , in whats been a pretty challenging week all round.
It’s Almost Xmas
and from the window of one of the offices I work, on Friday we spotted some trumpet players, they were pretty good most of the time but they murdered “Fair tail of New York” so much so that by the time they did it again, I had to record it. This time there wasnt as many bum notes but it was still as depressing at the start as ever.
My first lesson was a real challenge as I couldn’t tell if he was addressing me or himself every time he said Gary …… In the end, I just called him son, I think he liked that :0)
Just to be clear, this is not a paid for advert , I didn’t get any free lessons in return for the promise of an advert , I am posting this as I do genuinely believe that this man is one of the best out there !..
My path followed like this
Lesson one – rough , challenging , much much work needed, but Gary knew what buttons of mine to press.
Lesson 2 – went so well that Gary refused to let me book lesson 3 until after I had passed my theory &hpt
Lesson 3 – after passing my theory I booked my practical – Gary had shown all the confidence and faith in me that I’d ever needed- I asked for lesson 3 to be a mock test – it wasn’t perfect but Gary again saw where I was falling short and pointed it all out
Test Day – you could say before my test I had a lesson ( as is standard practise ) but it was more of a case of 2 blokes driving round Stockport in rush hour pointing out all the bad drivers out there :0)
And with that- it was done !
So if your local to Manchester – want to learn in a car that’s REALLY easy to drive as well as amazingly comfortable .Plus an instructor that not only knows his stuff but is also a genuinely top bloke , then give Gary a call on 07806 782857, please mention my name when calling.
7 weeks ago a fire was lit under me, a desire to learn to drive, why ? well NOT to replace cycling to work and NOT to take away anything I have already achieved either, it was all down to wanting a new job, one that had a requirement of a Full UK Driving License.
See this blog isn’t about em weight loss nor about how green a bike is , it’s a celebration of what the human mind can do , when you push it, wanna lose 26 stone ? Suuuuuuure, wanna get promotion ? Suuuuure….etc etc etc…
Let’s go back a few years:
I am from a family of mainly professional drivers, a high number of them are class 1 or 2 HGV drivers too.
Most people in my family were given a provisional license for their 17th Birthday along with lessons and the promise of a car.
So why at 31 have I only decided to take this step now ?
Well, some of it is down to not beating treated equally, see for my 17th I was given a new saddle and football pump, that told me that no one had the faith in me and then the flip side to that was I didn’t have the faith that I could do it and the 2 went hand in and built a self fulfilling prophecy….!
What I SHOULD have done years ago is stick 2 fingers up and said “ill prove you wrong” and that’s what I am doing now BUT back then I wasn’t the same outgoing, confident person I am now.
The above is NOT an attempt at sympathy nor is it me having a dog at anyone else , I am simply setting out the situation. I have no anger or resentment towards anyone else.
Auto Car
Just before I started to drive I said ” if I get an automatic car, I’d pass tomorrow ”
But that would mean having to take my test all over again in a manual – I just never thought I’d “get it” but figured it was now, or never !
The Early Days….The SCARY Days:
Wow, I was rough, see, car brakes are NOTHING like bike ones, on the bike I generally have them either ON or off, in a car, in the first week, I almost went through the windscreen, owing to being so heavy footed on the brakes.
I missed 5th Gear and hit 3rd on a dual carriage way at 50 Mph , in the rain, in rush hour, in Manchester.
I ALMOST drove on the wrong side of the road at a roundabout junction.
After the last mishap I called myself “The King of all C**t’s” and said that enough was enough and that those that said I couldn’t do it were right.
But
I gave myself 24 hours and came back EVEN better, see I took a step back, looked at how quickly I was progressing and that I was only a couple of weeks into this and I cut myself some slack.
It’s All In The Theory:
At the start of November, 3 weeks after getting my provisional licence I took my theory, its fair to say I revised HARD.
The night before the test, on the cycle home, all those negative thoughts and feelings came flooding back, I responded in the only way I know how, I pushed myself so hard I was at breaking point, I was SHOT mentally and physically, I pulled over to the same of the road and I just stood there, thinking about me and who I am NOW getting everyone else out of my head space. I had broken down my barriers and now it was rebuilding time, I wont go into detail but I think it worked.
For the next day I took my Theory test, getting 48/50 on part one and 61/75 on part 2, I had NAILED IT.
Mock The Test
A couple of weeks before the REAL Practical test, I asked my instructor for a Mock, despite a couple of mistakes I had again progressed at quite a fast pace, there was nothing more I could now do but drive as much as I had chance to, until my real test.
The REAL DEAL……Did I Pass ?……:
2 weeks after my Mock Test, it was time to do it FOR REAL.
CAN I DO THIS ?
IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FROM ME ?
DO I WANT THIS ANY MORE?
Today’s the day !
I didn’t have chance to get nervous . See I had been ill all week, throwing up every day for a week before my test , when I arrived at the test centre I had time to get a drink of water and that was it I was off
I was driving really well but my head was so sore from all the throwing up , when it came to the ” independent driving ” section I was asked to follow signs – my head was sore and I was feeling ” off”
This would be where I was to fail …if I was to fail !
I arrived back at the test centre 10 mins before anyone else !
Was that a bad thing ?
I’d drove well but not perfect
I parked up and the examiner uttered those immortal words
” I’m pleased to say you have passed”
WOW what a feeling – you are allowed 16 minor faults – I made just 3 and this was my first attempt at taking my test – just 7 weeks & 3 lessons after getting my provisional license !!!
It’s such a high ! Such a celebration – stay tuned for details of who my instructor was – the man is an utter utter legend and I can’t recommend him to you enough !!!!!
Cycle Of Life - Fix You 
