2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss December 21, 2006
This post is part of the Problogger group writing project Reviews and Predictions.
It’s hard to believe it was just over a year ago that I started exercising regularly. I managed to keep up the exercise for most of the year, except for a few interruptions like winter, injuries, etc. Each time I’ve been able to get back into the habit, though, which is good. I’ve never been able to maintain an exercise routine for this long before! I don’t think it’ll be a problem to keep going through Christmas like I did last year.
I think the single most important piece of exercise equipment I have is my iPod. Exercise has always been incredibly boring for me in the past, but listening to audio books and podcasts has been fantastic. I actually look forward to getting out and listening to the latest stuff! Being a gadget geek, my Polar heart monitor and Garmin GPS have also given me good motivation and a sense of progress as my fitness improved.
The 30 Day Technique has been a great way to introduce changes to my lifestyle. It allows me to make just one or two changes at a time, without feeling the pressure of thinking of them as permanent changes.
My overall fitness has increased immensely this year. I’ve gone from being puffed climbing a single set of stairs, to running a mile, running 3 km, and even running 5 km in under 27 minutes.
In terms of weight loss, I managed to get down from 108 kg at the start of the year to 89 kg today. Most of the weight loss occurred in the first half of the year (I guess that’s when I made the most drastic lifestyle changes!), but I’m very pleased that it hasn’t crept up since then. A great free tool for tracking your weight is PhysicsDiet.com, where you can see my public profile.
The most motivational story I read/watched this year, by far, was that of The World’s Strongest Dad. Having a disabled daughter myself, that video brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it. Check it out if you haven’t already!
Looking ahead, my main goals for this year are:
- to update this blog more regularly
- to enter a local 5 km fun-run
- to run 10 km
- to lose another 10 kg or so, and keep my weight around 80 kg
I’d love to hear from other people either just starting out on the path to fitness, or having overcome some obstacles and making good progress. We can definitely all benefit from sharing, learning from each other, and providing encouragement. Leave your URL in the comments below!
- Posted in : Goals, Measuring Progress, Motivation
- Author : admin
Comments»
Hi there, Congrats on your success at making long term lifestyle changes. If you’re interested, I started my weight loss journey almost two months ago and have lost ten pounds so far. You can read more on my blog: persistentgirl.blogspot.com I have just started the blog and am looking forward to getting to know others in a similar situation.
I’m following a modified Hacker’s Diet approach: I track calories in/out using nutritional software however I prefer to use weekly weigh ins rather than using the rolling average approach. (Googling hacker’s diet is how I found your blog). I’ve made various attempts over the past few years to lose weight via simply ‘eating healthy foods’ as the media always portrays dieting as bad. I had hardly any success and started to think it was impossible to lose weight. I started seeing results once I finally started using the calories in/calories out approach! I am dedicated to making this journey a consistent, long term part of my life.
I look forward to reading some more posts from you in the new year.
Hi PersistentGirl, and welcome! I’m also Australian. It sounds like you’ve flipped the switch in your mind and you’re on the journey back to health. The Hacker’s Diet approach makes it very simple to track what you’re doing and maintain your momentum. I’ll be interested to read more of your progress!
BTW, I added your blog to my blogroll.
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
2006 has been a year of weight gain for me. I am going to come back to your blog again and again, to find tools and inspiration to lose the weight. thanks.
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
what a true insight.Awsome!!
I also got entry in darrens project.
http://technospot.net/blogs/index.php/2006/12/19/predicting-the-evolution-of-techspot-insideout/
And i am feeding your blog.There wont be another chance to meet so many bloggers
Merry Christmas
I wish I could get fitter too !
Merry Christmas!
May the Force be with you, the Blo-gedi way
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] Budget Globetrotting has predictions about travel in 2007, Working at Home on the Internet reflects on his blog’s focus, Time to Get Fit is proud of his weight loss and running (I’ve been thinking more and more of how out of shape I’m getting; time to pull on the tennies and get out that door!) and Travel Rants has some thoughts on his year as a travel blogger. I was also interested in how Tricia at Blogging Away Debt made big cuts in her debt pile and why it’s a good year to be a Willie Nelson fan (I saw him live this fall at the Austin City Limits Music Festival — what a show!) Great tips on increasing traffic to your blog can be found here, and Travolution talks about online travel from a UK perspective here. [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 – A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
[...] 2006 - A Year Of Weight Loss by Darren [...]
Hi there,
Thanks for adding me to your blogroll. How’s the new year treating you? Update and tell us how you’re doing with your morning walks or runs!
Cheers,
Persistent girl
Good going with the ipod! I too did not begin to exercise regularly until I figured out how to enjoy it! Parked a TV in front of the recumbant bike, watch a favorite show and it hardly feels like exercise!
No problem, PG! I’ll try to get some updates posted soon - not much to tell, really, as I’ve slacked off a bit over Christmas.