End of day 2 - The Plan

End of day 2, feeling good yet tired!

Okay so I thought I best establish a plan so you all know what I am actually doing.

• Breakfast - Porridge
• Lunch - Sandwich / Salad / Soup 
• Dinner - Meat, Veg and a few carbohydrates (potato / pasta / rice)
• Snacks - Fruit ( Apple / Pear / Banana ) 

For fluids I will be consuming water mostly, coffee on a morning, diluted juice on occasion

Exercise! I plan do complete at least 3 hours of cardio a week, at a minimum! I will also be doing a few sets of weights to build muscle whilst losing fat. During my normal gym routine I tend to do an hour cardio so this would mean at least three sessions per week if I wish to complete my goals.

I have to admit I have tried all sorts of diets in the past probably much like a lot of people out there, the main things that normally hinder me are;

• Coke ( tastes good but has so many calories! big no no!! )
• Take-away ( So easy to pick up phone and order in )
• Not eating often enough, i often skip meals and then binge later in the day
• Portion size ( My problem is I actually never seem to feel full, I can eat and eat and eat..)

I believe by knowing my weaknesses I will be able to avoid them.

I am going to try and control my portion size as I believe I will see dramatic results by doing so, below is a picture of my meal tonight. I personally think I gave myself to many potatoes so I will try reduce that next time.

   

Day 1 Video

And so it begins..

Today is the 3rd of January 2014, a perfect time to start carving out a new future for myself. 

The end goal is to lose weight so I weigh in at 90kg (14.1 stone).

I do not pretend to be an expert in weight loss so please do not quote me but by all means accompany me on my journey. 

Okay so lets get started! My name is Nick Cooper, I am 25 years old and live in Stockton-on-Tees (United Kingdom). I aim to lose the weight that has been with me from my younger years, It is strange but my weight has never once held me back in my life so your probably thinking then why does this fool want to lose his weight then? Simple, I am a proud father of my beautiful 6 month old baby boy. I want my life to be as long as possible so I can always be there for him, I want to be able to play football and run around with my son.. 

I am more than aware of the health risks associated with carrying excess weight, honestly this scares me... for the good part of 20 years I have carried around more weight than I should have. I was always the big lad, as such I quickly mastered the art of taking the mick out of myself before anybody else could. Upon reflection of my childhood I was a happy child, lots of friends and family who love me dearly but I do wish more was done at a younger age to instruct me on a healthier lifestyle. 

Lets not sugar coat this, I got fat because I love food.. no sob stories, no excuses, I simply ate to much of the wrong things! 

Throughout secondary school I seemed to gain a stone to equal my age every year, by the time I was 16 years old I weighed in at 16 stone. I know exactly when my eating got majorly out of control to a point were if I did not do something about it then, I would be on one of the TV programs about morbidly obese people right now! When I left secondary school I reverted into myself, playing computer games constantly, never coming out of my room. Looking back I was in a state of depression.. by the time I was 18 years old (2 years later) I weighed in at a staggering 23 1/2 stone! In 2 years I gained 7 1/2 stone in body fat! Honestly whilst writing this it is the first time I have actually worked out how much i gained, I feel physically sick.

My mum made me leave the confines of my room and gave me a choice, "get a job, or go traveling!" So i went off traveling, at 23 1/2 stone!!

I enlisted as a volunteer at the Millennium Elephant Foundation in Sri Lanka, this experience brought me back out of my shell. I discovered that I still had the funny confident side inside myself. I came back from Sri Lanka after 3 months a new man. I joined a gym with my friend, eventually getting down to around 21 stone were i hovered for the next few years. 

2 years ago I met the love of my life and she inspired me to lose a further 2 1/2 stone. This is the point I am currently at. 

I hope i haven't bored you with the background bit but I feel it is important that you as the reader understands the history behind my goal. 

Current Weight - 118kg

Target Weight - 90kg

Above are photos of the start of my journey. I am also going to be recording a few video logs of my journey to which will be posted on YouTube if anybody is interested.

Thanks for your time

Nick Cooper