Eating 80% at every meal

I have not been able to regularly work out since I hurt my back last year. The obvious result of this of course has been 4 kilos of fat in all the wrong places. I have resumed working out mid Jan this year. For a while I struggled with different work outs - primarly lost the habit of getting to the gym. Work outs were not enjoyable, appetite was not good - I wouldnt want to eat - but would eat anyway. Before and after a meal didnt feel any different in terms of satiation - just discomfort.

So I made a couple of changes:-

First was to make it a habit to get up at 5 AM everyday. I used to do it before hurting my back. But after I couldn't even walk, I used to sleep later and awake even later - sometimes as late as 9 AM. So making the change to 5 AM was a task - but that was the only thing I focussed on. Not really worrying about working out or anything else. Just waking up at 5 AM. Been doing it consistently for the last 3 weeks now.

Since I have been waking up so early, I have been able to fit in 3 -4 workouts a week now. That is making a big difference to my timing and my appetite. I feel hungry on the clock and when I finish eating I feel sated and not uncomfortable. For the last 2 weeks though I have also got into the habit of eating only 80% at every meal. Basically its just a case of being conscious of what I am eating and stopping when I feel just about to become full.

My weight has dropped from 76.5 to 74.5. Lets see if I can hit my current goal of sub-74 - I think I will.

Until next time.

Returning to running and blogging

My last attempt at making an entry in this blog was on October 21, 2010 - about a month after a microdiscectomy for my L4-L5 disc. I find that its still in draft and incomplete. So this attempt is simply going to be a quick one to break the cycle.

I've been trying to get out of the pre-surgery routine of lots of TV, daily junk food and late awakening. It looks like the extruded disc that I had did more than hurt my back. The psychological impact has been significant. My best habits of getting out of bed early, eating well, staying fit, etc. have all been shot to death.

I am trying to build that base of good habits again. For the last several weeks now, I have been able to more or less consistently wake up at o500 every morning. I am also eating much less junk and there is a less of a tendency to swig at parties or evenings out.

Been reading Robin Sharma and interestingly the first thing he talks about in his book "The Leader who had no title" is about the daily habits of leaders. Ha - someday I'll be a leader without a title as well! (Of course, I think the best way to become a leader without a title is to start with one. Somebody somewhere will likely knock you down and strip it off you - so maybe I'll go and buy one)

Been doing a bit of running now - not jogging much - walking up to Pachaiyappa's and doing 60m strides. Sprinting is still way in the future it looks like. Need to get into some serious weight training before I can do that. Found that put on a track suit between sets on benchpress really helps. Can stay warm and definitely flexible.