I start off on a sad note after 16 and a half years the Cuvello family loses it's most valued member the one that always had unconditional love for us all, never judged us, never argued with us and was always there for us when we needed her.
I am of course talking about our dog Butch, a Staffard-Shire Bull-Terrier cross Bull-Terrier, I personally made the call about a week ago to have her put down, after all this time she had developed arthritis in all her legs, she was crippled by the time last week had turned up and I suggested it's time we do this, turns out today when the vet turned up she was also paralyzed in her legs and going blind.
I called mum today to confirm it had been done and she told me how the vet put her down after hanging up I cried for a while at work, left to go outside and cried a little more, while walking from the end of the street I began to cry again and when I got to the front door I fell to the ground unable to control myself, seeing her kennel and knowing she isn't there anymore ... it hits you hard when you finally realise she isn't there anymore. I stepped out back for a few minutes before dinner and said some words, those words were something along the lines of "I love you and I will miss you Butch, I am forever indebted to your unconditional love, you never judged me and were always there for me no matter how you felt you always put me first".
Lest we forget those whom we love and adore.
Hi All,
So what's been happening recently? Well I've been sick, I've had really bad stomach cramping which started off with a heck of a lot of stomach swelling which caused me not to eat for a few weeks. During these two weeks I lost 7kgs (15lbs) which has taken my total weight loss to 100kgs! *WOOHOO* my main goal now achieved and it's been 23 months since I had the operation, not that it's a competition but I think I'm in the running for gold.
http://i.imgur.com/bOmI8.jpg
The certificate I was given for reaching my goal :)
So what's next? August 7th I meet a plastic surgeon for quotes on having the body lift operations (this should be interesting) from there we can move forward and prepare for that.
So back to my stomach swelling issues, I had a gastroscopy which shows a stitch had come loose that may have caused the swelling but isn't the reason why my abdomen is cramping with stabbing pains, so I've had 3 blood samples, stool samples and now a CT scan (results should be in tomorrow), currently I'm on tremadole and panamax for the pain and working because I've ran out of sick leave, I'm running on fumes at the moment and can't keep this up much longer, I need an answer as to why I'm sick but my surgeon doesn't know yet, he's hoping the scan will show something.. anything.
As you have read Black Hayet has broken up (my band) Adam the singer (the alcoholic) has decided to take it upon himself to tell people the reason I had a go at him was because I was going through personal problems. This guy has just taken the gold for biggest jerk in my life right now, for starters he can't admit he has a problem then secondly blames someone else for his wrong doing, makes me feel my choice was the right one to make, he's out of my life for good and moving forward who knows what it will bring, but it will be better than what has occurred.
The next blog will have the report from my currently issues plaguing me and also a little something special depending how the weekend treats me ;)
Thanks for reading
Age.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Blog 16 - Life isn't all sunshine and honey, you will get stung and sunburned!
Hi All,
So since the last blog last week so much has happened since, I got rejected from asking a pretty girl out, my band broke up and I've lost a good mate to his alcoholism.
The band I was in for over a year has broken up, this saddens me because we had a great chance of going somewhere, main problem though? An alcoholic singer who causes trouble everywhere he goes, he has warrants out for his arrest and would be lucky to leave the state for travel.
He believes he is going to marry this Canadian bird of his and get himself duel citizenship, I would be surprised if she stuck around, she left the first time because of his drinking, nothing has changed since she has been away.
So anyway he and I go out Saturday night for a 30th party, turns out that before he starts drinking he's annoying the hell out of me, instead of allowing me to move seats to start a conversation with a few lady friends he grabs me in a headlock and points to the one with the largest breasts, check them out mate.... no need for details here so ill skip to where i shove him off me and tell him to get a life.
"Hey why are you holding me back? Let me go and talk to her", to a reply of nah you can't leave me here alone I'm bored when are we moving onto the drinking place?...
Fast forward a few hours, he's now bleed me dry of my cash and himself and I say, "Nothing left, can't afford anymore drinks mate", to a disgusting reply of "Oh that's ok I'll show you how to get free beer!"
He then proceeds to walk up to tables and drink others beers in front of them.
I am both disgusted and angered by this, before a fight starts I bolt downstairs and get some cash, order some more drinks and give them to everyone he drank from apologising for him. I'm very lucky I never got my head kicked in at this time.
So he's been eying out this rather "gay" individual and throws his jacket at him spilling all the drinks on the table, before his rather large and tall "boyfriend" comes charging in I picked up his jacket turned around and threw it at him then grabbed him by the collar and dropped him on the ground, shoved my knee into his ribs and started foaming at the mouth, I can't repeat what was said but I was not very happy with what he had did.
After the scream-a-thon was finished I got up and walked out the place and caught a taxi home.
Turns out he started a fist fight with a friend of his trying to keep him in check, that's how he treats his friends hey? Great mate that one.
So with the above two examples what did I learn this week?
Three things.
1. I am too damn kind for my own good and need to push back on people who do not appreciate what I have to offer.
2. I refuse to help anyone when they won't help themselves.
3. I reflected on the people in my life and came to the realisation that I am happy with the current people I have around me in my life.
To expand on point 3.
I've mentioned Scott in past posts, I've known him the longest, 10 years now, he helped me through all of this with some great words of wisdom through his own life experience.
Zane I've known for 8 years and even from WA he can still support and comfort me in my darkest times, just talking to him and his suggestions helped me through these changes.
Tracy I've known her for about 4 years now, she is the friend that was ready to go into battle for me when I turned down my this work colleague, her words are some I have never heard before, they brought me back to the reality of that it is not always me that is the cause of these problems but you will learn in life that in fact no matter how much you want to see the good in everyone, some people are just in it for themselves.
All of this should have happened to me 10 years ago not now when I'm almost 30, it's harder to deal with these problems because well the ignorance of youth would have been a warm welcome.
I am so thankful to have 3 very close people in my life who are there for me when I need them most.
My family of course also helped as they do, they put perspective on my experience.
"You will meet people in life, some will stay, most will pass on by, those who stay treat them well for they will be there for you at your darkest times, and you had better be there for them during theirs".
This has been such a huge life experience for me and I am so thankful that this happened, I am beating my fear of rejection and realising that there are people in my life who can help me through it.
I am so very thankful right now :)
Thanks for reading.
Adrian.
So since the last blog last week so much has happened since, I got rejected from asking a pretty girl out, my band broke up and I've lost a good mate to his alcoholism.
The band I was in for over a year has broken up, this saddens me because we had a great chance of going somewhere, main problem though? An alcoholic singer who causes trouble everywhere he goes, he has warrants out for his arrest and would be lucky to leave the state for travel.
He believes he is going to marry this Canadian bird of his and get himself duel citizenship, I would be surprised if she stuck around, she left the first time because of his drinking, nothing has changed since she has been away.
So anyway he and I go out Saturday night for a 30th party, turns out that before he starts drinking he's annoying the hell out of me, instead of allowing me to move seats to start a conversation with a few lady friends he grabs me in a headlock and points to the one with the largest breasts, check them out mate.... no need for details here so ill skip to where i shove him off me and tell him to get a life.
"Hey why are you holding me back? Let me go and talk to her", to a reply of nah you can't leave me here alone I'm bored when are we moving onto the drinking place?...
Fast forward a few hours, he's now bleed me dry of my cash and himself and I say, "Nothing left, can't afford anymore drinks mate", to a disgusting reply of "Oh that's ok I'll show you how to get free beer!"
He then proceeds to walk up to tables and drink others beers in front of them.
I am both disgusted and angered by this, before a fight starts I bolt downstairs and get some cash, order some more drinks and give them to everyone he drank from apologising for him. I'm very lucky I never got my head kicked in at this time.
So he's been eying out this rather "gay" individual and throws his jacket at him spilling all the drinks on the table, before his rather large and tall "boyfriend" comes charging in I picked up his jacket turned around and threw it at him then grabbed him by the collar and dropped him on the ground, shoved my knee into his ribs and started foaming at the mouth, I can't repeat what was said but I was not very happy with what he had did.
After the scream-a-thon was finished I got up and walked out the place and caught a taxi home.
Turns out he started a fist fight with a friend of his trying to keep him in check, that's how he treats his friends hey? Great mate that one.
So with the above two examples what did I learn this week?
Three things.
1. I am too damn kind for my own good and need to push back on people who do not appreciate what I have to offer.
2. I refuse to help anyone when they won't help themselves.
3. I reflected on the people in my life and came to the realisation that I am happy with the current people I have around me in my life.
To expand on point 3.
I've mentioned Scott in past posts, I've known him the longest, 10 years now, he helped me through all of this with some great words of wisdom through his own life experience.
Zane I've known for 8 years and even from WA he can still support and comfort me in my darkest times, just talking to him and his suggestions helped me through these changes.
Tracy I've known her for about 4 years now, she is the friend that was ready to go into battle for me when I turned down my this work colleague, her words are some I have never heard before, they brought me back to the reality of that it is not always me that is the cause of these problems but you will learn in life that in fact no matter how much you want to see the good in everyone, some people are just in it for themselves.
All of this should have happened to me 10 years ago not now when I'm almost 30, it's harder to deal with these problems because well the ignorance of youth would have been a warm welcome.
I am so thankful to have 3 very close people in my life who are there for me when I need them most.
My family of course also helped as they do, they put perspective on my experience.
"You will meet people in life, some will stay, most will pass on by, those who stay treat them well for they will be there for you at your darkest times, and you had better be there for them during theirs".
This has been such a huge life experience for me and I am so thankful that this happened, I am beating my fear of rejection and realising that there are people in my life who can help me through it.
I am so very thankful right now :)
Thanks for reading.
Adrian.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Blog 15 - It's the end of the world and we know it!.. Wait what?
Hi All,
It's been an interesting few weeks since the last blog I posted, about 5 weeks ago I started having a social life, I've been going out a lot more and meeting a whole lot of new people, it's been a great experience, and before anyone asks the answer is still no, I haven't found a girlfriend yet.
I find it funny on TBLoser and other shows similar to it it's as if these people either paid a woman to sit next to them at the finale, or they were lucky enough to have found someone that soon after losing the weight, personally I'm going for the $$$.
There is however a woman who is temping at work, she's easy to talk to, laughs at my jokes and seems legitimately interested in talking to me, I have a feeling that's as far as it will go but that I'm ok with, it only took 4 friends, mum and a self help book to straighten me out when I was hyperventilating about asking her out for lunch... why must it be so difficult sometimes?
I have acknowledged I have two fears in life, one used to be heights but my trip to Arches Canyon Lands straightened that out when I posed on an arch 2000 feet above the ground, instead while at Disneyland I developed a fear of falling from a ride which put me in a catatonic state (I think I have mentioned this a while back, can't remember).
The other fear is rejection, all my social life (outside of my family and few friends) I have been rejected from society and people. No woman would want to be seen with me and all the guys wanted to tease me, so when it comes to asking someone "Hey, lunch?" it's more than just 2 words to me.
But a great thing happened, she said "No, sorry I can't".
=) *smiley face*
The world didn't end, I didn't have a stroke, I said "No stress, I'm always here Saturdays because of archery, if you ever need to use up a few hours let's meet there", she was happy with that, didn't feel pressured or threatened and "Everything went better than expected".
Challenging that fear or rejection and learning that the world will not end if she says no is yet another huge milestone for me, the last time this happened I cried myself to sleep (on my holiday of all places), this time, I said my goodbyes told her to enjoy her weekend, went to my singers place and we jammed for a few hours.
I am so proud of myself for stepping up to this demon of mine, it can't possibly get any harder, from here it's much, much easier, I like easy :)
--------------------
Quick update, I am seeing my surgeon Friday July 13th, I will hopefully have the name to a plastic surgeon who can sign me up for the body lift operations I need done, I must admit I am happier with my body after these past 2 years of hell and hard work but this excess skin is a nightmare, I'm looking forward to it being removed.
Till then I will leave you with a quote, this quote contains the words I have been looking for since making the decision I have to have the operation and change my life.
Unconditional Self-Acceptance:
"The value of human life is that it exists. You are a complex miracle of creation. You are a person who is trying to live, and that makes you as worthwhile as every other person. Whether you are a researcher unlocking the cure for cancer or a person who sweeps the streets, you have known hope and fear, affection and loss, wanting and disappointment. You have looked at the world and tried to make sense of it, you have coped with the unique set of problems you were born into, and you have endured pain. Over the years, you've tried many strategies to help you feel better and deal with pain. Some worked, some haven't. It doesn't matter, you are just trying to live. And in spite of all that is hard in life, you are still trying. This is your worth, your humanness."
It's been an interesting few weeks since the last blog I posted, about 5 weeks ago I started having a social life, I've been going out a lot more and meeting a whole lot of new people, it's been a great experience, and before anyone asks the answer is still no, I haven't found a girlfriend yet.
I find it funny on TBLoser and other shows similar to it it's as if these people either paid a woman to sit next to them at the finale, or they were lucky enough to have found someone that soon after losing the weight, personally I'm going for the $$$.
There is however a woman who is temping at work, she's easy to talk to, laughs at my jokes and seems legitimately interested in talking to me, I have a feeling that's as far as it will go but that I'm ok with, it only took 4 friends, mum and a self help book to straighten me out when I was hyperventilating about asking her out for lunch... why must it be so difficult sometimes?
I have acknowledged I have two fears in life, one used to be heights but my trip to Arches Canyon Lands straightened that out when I posed on an arch 2000 feet above the ground, instead while at Disneyland I developed a fear of falling from a ride which put me in a catatonic state (I think I have mentioned this a while back, can't remember).
The other fear is rejection, all my social life (outside of my family and few friends) I have been rejected from society and people. No woman would want to be seen with me and all the guys wanted to tease me, so when it comes to asking someone "Hey, lunch?" it's more than just 2 words to me.
But a great thing happened, she said "No, sorry I can't".
=) *smiley face*
The world didn't end, I didn't have a stroke, I said "No stress, I'm always here Saturdays because of archery, if you ever need to use up a few hours let's meet there", she was happy with that, didn't feel pressured or threatened and "Everything went better than expected".
Challenging that fear or rejection and learning that the world will not end if she says no is yet another huge milestone for me, the last time this happened I cried myself to sleep (on my holiday of all places), this time, I said my goodbyes told her to enjoy her weekend, went to my singers place and we jammed for a few hours.
I am so proud of myself for stepping up to this demon of mine, it can't possibly get any harder, from here it's much, much easier, I like easy :)
--------------------
Quick update, I am seeing my surgeon Friday July 13th, I will hopefully have the name to a plastic surgeon who can sign me up for the body lift operations I need done, I must admit I am happier with my body after these past 2 years of hell and hard work but this excess skin is a nightmare, I'm looking forward to it being removed.
Till then I will leave you with a quote, this quote contains the words I have been looking for since making the decision I have to have the operation and change my life.
Unconditional Self-Acceptance:
"The value of human life is that it exists. You are a complex miracle of creation. You are a person who is trying to live, and that makes you as worthwhile as every other person. Whether you are a researcher unlocking the cure for cancer or a person who sweeps the streets, you have known hope and fear, affection and loss, wanting and disappointment. You have looked at the world and tried to make sense of it, you have coped with the unique set of problems you were born into, and you have endured pain. Over the years, you've tried many strategies to help you feel better and deal with pain. Some worked, some haven't. It doesn't matter, you are just trying to live. And in spite of all that is hard in life, you are still trying. This is your worth, your humanness."
Thank you for reading.
(not so)Big Age.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Blog 14 - So far, So what!
So how is the 15 week challenge going? Well I've plateaued stuck at 125kgs and yo-yo'ing like a yoyo...
I recently stopped going to the gym satisfied with my 94kgs so far and have been sticking to an even calorie intake as to not gain weight, so far that's working out well.
Not much else to add really apart from the fact I took up a few new hobbies and my social life is going well, very well in fact happily spending most of my time outside or with new people, giving the confidence a real nice boost :)
I thought I would make the rest of the post about the psychologist I've been seeing, he has been helping me out with my past and how I can move forward, after only a few months my attitude has changed so much it's almost scary. You have all read my past posts (especially 8) and see how I was, how about reading the below and reading how I take a new look at life.
I recently stopped going to the gym satisfied with my 94kgs so far and have been sticking to an even calorie intake as to not gain weight, so far that's working out well.
Not much else to add really apart from the fact I took up a few new hobbies and my social life is going well, very well in fact happily spending most of my time outside or with new people, giving the confidence a real nice boost :)
I thought I would make the rest of the post about the psychologist I've been seeing, he has been helping me out with my past and how I can move forward, after only a few months my attitude has changed so much it's almost scary. You have all read my past posts (especially 8) and see how I was, how about reading the below and reading how I take a new look at life.
What I’ve learned so far…
“Death and Taxes”, perhaps the most popular term when it
comes to life, being the only two things you can depend on.
It’s most certainly something I used to think about and agree with, but now I look back on this term and it gives me a very negative feeling, it’s a depressing approach to life and quite frankly something I can no longer live by.
I find myself a realist in life, I understand there must be both positive and negative situations and sometimes negative does outweigh the positives such as with the above statement, yes death and taxes might be the only two certainties but what about what isn’t certain?
I think to myself (without over analysing the situation) that well what about everything else? Why should I live life thinking of what is certain and not about what isn’t? It’s those uncertainties that I now (after losing the weight) want to explore.
It’s most certainly something I used to think about and agree with, but now I look back on this term and it gives me a very negative feeling, it’s a depressing approach to life and quite frankly something I can no longer live by.
I find myself a realist in life, I understand there must be both positive and negative situations and sometimes negative does outweigh the positives such as with the above statement, yes death and taxes might be the only two certainties but what about what isn’t certain?
I think to myself (without over analysing the situation) that well what about everything else? Why should I live life thinking of what is certain and not about what isn’t? It’s those uncertainties that I now (after losing the weight) want to explore.
So I went to America and I experienced another culture (yes
quite familiar to ours but still different none-the-less) and lifestyle with
many other people from other cultures. I found it fascinating; I wanted to
learn more about the native aborigines (Navajo Indians) and even fellow persons
sharing the tour with me from Whales, Slovenia and Holland.
So what does that have to do with what I’ve learned? I’ve
learned that even with such a negative background and history I still have the
right to enjoy and experience life, I don’t need to sit in the corner and dwell
on the past and expend so much energy thinking about which name I hated being
called the most. I can go out there and enjoy the wonders of the world from
something small as bike riding or talking to another individual about what a
hypnagogic jerk is, to asking a woman for her phone number.
It’s ok for me to be happy; I am allowed to be happy, I have the same opportunities as everyone else, I am no different to anyone else, so I shouldn’t treat myself or expect to be treated any different from anyone else.
It’s ok for me to be happy; I am allowed to be happy, I have the same opportunities as everyone else, I am no different to anyone else, so I shouldn’t treat myself or expect to be treated any different from anyone else.
I am the only one who sees me with my negative past, however
from the outside every new person I interact with sees me who for the first
time, not the big guy I used to be or the troubled child I once was, I have a
clean slate with everyone and how I project myself in the future is certainly
in a more positive way.
I’ve always seen the human body in 3 ways, mind, body and
soul.
Soul:
The soul has always been a solid foundation for me, my
religious background and science interests have allowed me to see and
experience both sides the fence, I believe the big bang did happen there is
proof it is occurring all around us most recently galaxy M81 is currently
experiencing a super massive black whole which in turn will be creating new
life, but with my religious backing I can see the workings of a higher being in
motion, not necessarily the Catholic Churches rendition of “God” or “Jesus” to
the Christians/Mormons/Jehovah’s, but a higher being of intelligence I like
to call “God”. Life is all around us and
my soul is attached to it, I believe in living life with a mutual respect for
everybody and treat everybody exactly as I would like to be treated, with this
foundation I feel my soul will reach the afterlife (whatever it may be).
Body:
My body was always last on my priority list (it was a short
list too) until I realised I needed to make changes, now after losing all that
weight I feel my body is ready actually up and ready to live life, I now have a
fighting chance at being able to experience and enjoy the wonders of the world
from riding a bike, walking without pain, sitting next to somebody on public
transport knowing I can fit into one seat.
My realist approach is simple to this the body is my temple, it will only perform as well as the what gets put in, bad fuel bad performance.
Fruit/Vegetables, water, vitamins appropriate amount of meat each week keeps me energised and ready to fight on the next day! Keep this up and I might take up yoga.
My realist approach is simple to this the body is my temple, it will only perform as well as the what gets put in, bad fuel bad performance.
Fruit/Vegetables, water, vitamins appropriate amount of meat each week keeps me energised and ready to fight on the next day! Keep this up and I might take up yoga.
Mind:
The brain is such a powerful organ and the mind or
subconscious if you will can either aid us or be our worst enemy, the mind if
in a negative mood will cause depression, anxiety and mood swings where a
positive mind will be happiness, pleasure and joy.
It’s been shown that a positive mind has been able to assist with cancer patient’s recovery; it’s been proven (in my life) that depression can lead to suicide/death.
It’s been shown that a positive mind has been able to assist with cancer patient’s recovery; it’s been proven (in my life) that depression can lead to suicide/death.
My mind was always clouded (and still is but were working on
that one) and full of negative emotion and thoughts, as those clouds begin to
life I feel great weights being lifted from me, a positive attitude has helped
me sleep better at night, less headaches and less worries and stress.
My realist approach to life has not changed (if it even
will), I understand that there is negativity in life there always will be but
it’s how we approach that negativity that determines how we live with it, I
feel like I can begin to remove a lot of negativity in my life, from the people
in it to removing emotional connections to my past and even filling up the dead
time I make for myself each night at home in front of the tv/computer.
Filling in that time with Archery, Music, social activities’
delays the possibility of negativity in life and in turn increases the
positivity so when something negative does happen it doesn’t feel like the
world is ending because it’s been one bad thing after another, no in fact it’s
been one good thing after another and there was bound to be something negative
occur, as a realist I see this as the natural flow of life, ying and yang,
karma, good and bad.
My Soul is solid, my body is certainly better than where it
was 24 months ago, my mind is beginning to change, more positivity and less
negativity, I am viewing and approaching life differently, everything is clear
and precise and I feel happy, I show it by smiling more in fact I’ve been asked
recently at work what had changed because I look so much happier these days, I
feel fantastic and I see more positivity in my future.
Thank you for reading.
(not so)Big Age.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Blog 13 - The 15 week challenge!
Hi All,
I next see my surgeon on July 13th (Friday, muahahaha!), which is now 14 weeks away, this past week and for the next following 14 weeks I've set myself a stupidly difficult task which I intend to destroy.
Lose my final 15 kilos (33lbs) in the next 15 weeks, not only is 1kg a week (2.2lbs) a ridiculous task to set yourself to make it more difficult it's the final weight to lose, to put it in another perspective what I should be doing is setting myself a 5-6 month goal now 15 weeks.
Why am I doing this? Two reasons.
1. I have plateaued.
2. I want to walk into my surgeons office and say I'm done, let's get this skin cut off!
So how will I go about doing this? Here's my training schedule which should work out perfectly.
6 workouts a week (1 per night, 1 day off), weight training/muscle building then high intensity cardio, repeat 3 times.
Note: The below is only for me I do not recommend anyone performing any of the below workouts without talking to a personal trainer first, the below was written up from a schedule written up by my own trainer.
Day 1: Weights (all round)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Machine Leg Press (weight 60kgs, 132lbs), 3 sets 12 reps.
- Dead Lift (weight 25kgs, 55lbs) 3 sets 12 reps.
- Dumbbell shoulder press (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Rear Lateral raise (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps (can only do 2 sets right now before lowering weight)
- Skull crushers (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Triceps push down (weight 35kgs, 77lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Medicine ball ab workout (weight 10kgs, 22lbs) (side to side movement)
- Bicep curls (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets (reps depend on weakest arm)
Day 2: Cardio - note weight used in this work out is 2-3 weight plates higher (up to 20kgs, 44lbs)
- 5 minutes bike (I find the bike to be the easiest for me to raise my heart rate and keep it high) HR 180+
- Squat till you drop
- Lateral pull-down (weight 50kgs 110lbs, max reps)
- Machine bench Press (weight 40kgs, 88lbs, max reps)
- Military Press (weight 25kgs, 55lbs, max reps)
- Triceps push down (weight 50kgs, 110lbs, max reps)
- Sit ups till you throw up
Repeat 3 times lowering the weight by 1/3 each time.
Day 3: Weights (shoulders and back)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Chin up (99kgs, 217.8lbs weight assistance) 3 sets 12 reps
- Lateral pull-down (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated shoulder press (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated low row (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated/cable reverse fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable crossover fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Barbell bent-over row (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
Day 4: Cardio (Same as Day 2 but faster!)
Day 5: Weights (Arms and legs)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Dips (99kgs, 217.8lbs weight assistance) 3 sets 12 reps
- Barbell bench press(weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable chest fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Pushups at shoulder width 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable Triceps push down (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Chair Dip (no weight) till you drop
- Weighted Squats (no barbell) (weight tbd) 5 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg curl (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg extension (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg press (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
Of course the above is completely interchangeable and nothing is set in stone, if I like the way one workout feels I will choose it over another and of course as I progress I will increase the weight.
My eating is changing too a little more carbohydrates than I would like but I do need more energy in the afternoons so bananas are now part of the diet and cashews too when I don't want to eat bananas.
Oh and a few protean shakes a day to help with recovery and well protean is all well and good as long as you burn the carbs that day at the gym.
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
I next see my surgeon on July 13th (Friday, muahahaha!), which is now 14 weeks away, this past week and for the next following 14 weeks I've set myself a stupidly difficult task which I intend to destroy.
Lose my final 15 kilos (33lbs) in the next 15 weeks, not only is 1kg a week (2.2lbs) a ridiculous task to set yourself to make it more difficult it's the final weight to lose, to put it in another perspective what I should be doing is setting myself a 5-6 month goal now 15 weeks.
Why am I doing this? Two reasons.
1. I have plateaued.
2. I want to walk into my surgeons office and say I'm done, let's get this skin cut off!
So how will I go about doing this? Here's my training schedule which should work out perfectly.
6 workouts a week (1 per night, 1 day off), weight training/muscle building then high intensity cardio, repeat 3 times.
Note: The below is only for me I do not recommend anyone performing any of the below workouts without talking to a personal trainer first, the below was written up from a schedule written up by my own trainer.
Day 1: Weights (all round)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Machine Leg Press (weight 60kgs, 132lbs), 3 sets 12 reps.
- Dead Lift (weight 25kgs, 55lbs) 3 sets 12 reps.
- Dumbbell shoulder press (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Rear Lateral raise (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps (can only do 2 sets right now before lowering weight)
- Skull crushers (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Triceps push down (weight 35kgs, 77lbs) - 3 sets 12 reps
- Medicine ball ab workout (weight 10kgs, 22lbs) (side to side movement)
- Bicep curls (weight 7kgs, 15.5lbs) - 3 sets (reps depend on weakest arm)
Day 2: Cardio - note weight used in this work out is 2-3 weight plates higher (up to 20kgs, 44lbs)
- 5 minutes bike (I find the bike to be the easiest for me to raise my heart rate and keep it high) HR 180+
- Squat till you drop
- Lateral pull-down (weight 50kgs 110lbs, max reps)
- Machine bench Press (weight 40kgs, 88lbs, max reps)
- Military Press (weight 25kgs, 55lbs, max reps)
- Triceps push down (weight 50kgs, 110lbs, max reps)
- Sit ups till you throw up
Repeat 3 times lowering the weight by 1/3 each time.
Day 3: Weights (shoulders and back)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Chin up (99kgs, 217.8lbs weight assistance) 3 sets 12 reps
- Lateral pull-down (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated shoulder press (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated low row (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Seated/cable reverse fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable crossover fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Barbell bent-over row (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
Day 4: Cardio (Same as Day 2 but faster!)
Day 5: Weights (Arms and legs)
- 10 minute warmup (heart rate peaking at 150)
- Dips (99kgs, 217.8lbs weight assistance) 3 sets 12 reps
- Barbell bench press(weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable chest fly (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Pushups at shoulder width 3 sets 12 reps
- Cable Triceps push down (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Chair Dip (no weight) till you drop
- Weighted Squats (no barbell) (weight tbd) 5 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg curl (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg extension (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
- Machine leg press (weight tbd) 3 sets 12 reps
Of course the above is completely interchangeable and nothing is set in stone, if I like the way one workout feels I will choose it over another and of course as I progress I will increase the weight.
My eating is changing too a little more carbohydrates than I would like but I do need more energy in the afternoons so bananas are now part of the diet and cashews too when I don't want to eat bananas.
Oh and a few protean shakes a day to help with recovery and well protean is all well and good as long as you burn the carbs that day at the gym.
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Blog 12 - Tough Mudda ain't got nothing on my workout plan!
Hi All,
Few things I would like to touch on in this post, the first one being some blood work I had done by my GP, the last time I had any blood taken was before my operation so the numbers had already been punched in and the bench mark set.
As far as anything being bad back in 2010, my vitamin D was low, my bad cholesterol was slightly elevated and my insulin levels were very high, finally my BMI was at a whopping 66%.
Jumping straight in turns out all my vitamin and minerals levels are perfect, this included D (sunshine) those elevit seem to be working for me so I'll keep taking them.
My bad cholesterol has gone down by 30%, good cholesterol has gone up by 20% which both are fantastic, my BMI is now at 35% so I've lost 30% body fat from 95kgs of weight. (This is where I started jumping up and down like a little boy)
The biggest change was my insulin levels, firstly what is insulin and how does it work?
Ok the body needs to keep a good balance with sugar levels, we can't have too much and we can't have too little, so when we eat sugar in foods our pancreas secrets insulin to balance those levels back out.
Cool? OK the insulin levels that are recommended are below 10, before my operation mine was at 42, thus it was working 4 times more than it should have been, thus it was on the verge of failing.
Taking you back a few blogs "Hey remember when I said you were going to die at 30?", "Yeah", "Well by the looks of it, it was going to be because your pancreas was going to fail and you would end up a type 1 diabetic which would then be the cause of your death", "Well that's cool and all but what do my results say now?"... ahem, my insulin level is now 6, abso-freakin-lutly perfect! (I love tmesis).
My GP was trying to hold it in so much but burst out in excitement, so now it turns out I'm healthier than the average folk, in fact in most cases even more.
Yay!
Recently (in case you've been living under a rock) you might have heard about Tough Mudda, well my long time brother from another mother Scott did this monster of a challenge with a triathlete and a football player the three of them smashed it, I was asked to join them last year, train with them since I had lost so much weight but I refused, usual story "Oh I'm not fit enough", well this is actually true, yes I've lost lot's of weight but I still have lots of skin which makes running impossible and well also my cardio is up the wazoo so no go there.
Talking to Scott about this recently he mentioned next year was my year to do it with him, the pride he resonates from achieving this challenge makes me crave it, I want to smash this course and throw down on life, winning and accomplishments matter now, now that I can do it I should be and I will be!
Once again my only restriction is my stomach skin, girdles don't work, tape and most belts don't keep it secure while running, the sound of skin flapping isn't cool when you run, the weight of the skin being tossed around is actually quite painful and I must get it cut off before the end of the year.
My challenge which I've chosen to accept!
I see my surgeon again in July 15 weeks away, I have written up a monster of a workout plan at the gym, 6 days 3 muscle building and toning and 3 days high intensity cardio. I have 15 kilos to lose then it's just skin, my plan, to walk into his surgery at 109 kilos (239.8lbs) (or less) and say, "When do we cut the skin off?"
I will post my diet and workout plan on here in the next blog in the next few days, start crossing them off and keep a journal of what I do to confirm I am increasing my intensity and not just floating through.
Oh and finally I'm seeing a psychologist this week to begin work on mental healing, excited to see how this will work out, wish me luck! :)
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
Few things I would like to touch on in this post, the first one being some blood work I had done by my GP, the last time I had any blood taken was before my operation so the numbers had already been punched in and the bench mark set.
As far as anything being bad back in 2010, my vitamin D was low, my bad cholesterol was slightly elevated and my insulin levels were very high, finally my BMI was at a whopping 66%.
Jumping straight in turns out all my vitamin and minerals levels are perfect, this included D (sunshine) those elevit seem to be working for me so I'll keep taking them.
My bad cholesterol has gone down by 30%, good cholesterol has gone up by 20% which both are fantastic, my BMI is now at 35% so I've lost 30% body fat from 95kgs of weight. (This is where I started jumping up and down like a little boy)
The biggest change was my insulin levels, firstly what is insulin and how does it work?
Ok the body needs to keep a good balance with sugar levels, we can't have too much and we can't have too little, so when we eat sugar in foods our pancreas secrets insulin to balance those levels back out.
Cool? OK the insulin levels that are recommended are below 10, before my operation mine was at 42, thus it was working 4 times more than it should have been, thus it was on the verge of failing.
Taking you back a few blogs "Hey remember when I said you were going to die at 30?", "Yeah", "Well by the looks of it, it was going to be because your pancreas was going to fail and you would end up a type 1 diabetic which would then be the cause of your death", "Well that's cool and all but what do my results say now?"... ahem, my insulin level is now 6, abso-freakin-lutly perfect! (I love tmesis).
My GP was trying to hold it in so much but burst out in excitement, so now it turns out I'm healthier than the average folk, in fact in most cases even more.
Yay!
Recently (in case you've been living under a rock) you might have heard about Tough Mudda, well my long time brother from another mother Scott did this monster of a challenge with a triathlete and a football player the three of them smashed it, I was asked to join them last year, train with them since I had lost so much weight but I refused, usual story "Oh I'm not fit enough", well this is actually true, yes I've lost lot's of weight but I still have lots of skin which makes running impossible and well also my cardio is up the wazoo so no go there.
Talking to Scott about this recently he mentioned next year was my year to do it with him, the pride he resonates from achieving this challenge makes me crave it, I want to smash this course and throw down on life, winning and accomplishments matter now, now that I can do it I should be and I will be!
Once again my only restriction is my stomach skin, girdles don't work, tape and most belts don't keep it secure while running, the sound of skin flapping isn't cool when you run, the weight of the skin being tossed around is actually quite painful and I must get it cut off before the end of the year.
My challenge which I've chosen to accept!
I see my surgeon again in July 15 weeks away, I have written up a monster of a workout plan at the gym, 6 days 3 muscle building and toning and 3 days high intensity cardio. I have 15 kilos to lose then it's just skin, my plan, to walk into his surgery at 109 kilos (239.8lbs) (or less) and say, "When do we cut the skin off?"
I will post my diet and workout plan on here in the next blog in the next few days, start crossing them off and keep a journal of what I do to confirm I am increasing my intensity and not just floating through.
Oh and finally I'm seeing a psychologist this week to begin work on mental healing, excited to see how this will work out, wish me luck! :)
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Blog 11, The Good, The Great and The Magnificent! ... and my stupid forgetfulness.
Let's start off with The Good.
So the past few weeks now I've been "testing" with food to see if I can make myself plateau and I did succeed, as far as my surgeon was concerned I had lost 6 kgs in 5 months, however the past 6 weeks I was losing 100grams a week. How did I do it? Ate all the wrong foods, so to be proactive I asked my surgeon when I saw him if I could see the nutritionist about my diet it's unstable and I need to find even ground to slow down my weight loss in a more healthy way.
The Great!
So I meet up with Ben and Dylan (mentioned them both in blog 5) and wow, it was awesome the whole healing process is complete with those guys they were genuinely happy for me and my changes.
I had a chat to a guy named Oli who had taken the picture back then (which I linked in blog 5) and he never recognised me, when he did it was like "wow, no way, it can't be you" I'll just sit here and grin ear to ear, it makes me so proud to think that people see me in a different way now, not only am I invisible but I'm also a motivation for those wanting to make changes to their own lifestyle.
Stupid me forget to get pictures taken I was a little caught up in the chatter that it never occurred to me to take any media with them, bah, but I did ask when the next show is, we can do it then :)
The Magnificent!
Before all of the above I visited an old doctor of mine (David is his name) that I hadn't seen in a long time, about 2-3 years ago was the last and before that at least 3-4.
Let me take you back a few years to 2005 to be exact...
"Adrian, mate, you have to lose weight, the road your going down is not a good one, you have elevated blood pressure and your body is starting to shut down from the weight. If you don't make a change soon I can't see you having a 30th birthday".
I asked then what options were available he mentioned lap banding, I shook it off told him I wanted to try and lose it myself before that happens. He respected my decision and off I went.
By now you know most of the story leading up to 2010 so ill skip to that, what I haven't mentioned will come later.
So I go back late 2009 and tell him I'm ready for the lap banding after a referral he gave him his best wishes and that was the last I saw of him. As mentioned in Blog 8 depression hit me when I couldn't get the lap banding because I gained weight, thankfully a few months later my mother knew a family friend who happily referred me to my surgeon and the rest is history.
So I stand up and look at David (old doctor) and he smiled ear to ear gave me a pat on the back and asked me how I was coping with the banding, I told him what had happened and he was in shock, to gain 20kgs in 1 week is physically not possible... but it happened to me, I informed him on the gastric bypass and told him how it goes and he was in shock. "The best thing is that it isn't reversible", "that's the best thing?", "Yup, the operation can always pull me up when I need it and I can admit when I need help". It was amazing to see his face, he has seen me at my worst and today, this man sitting in front of him was a different man from before, pride, confidence, self love and respect, tis a great thing.
Oh and here's a story for you before I head off to eat my dinner..
You know when they say "God does thing's in mysterious ways"? Well for those not religious let's call it Karma or Fate or just plain dumb luck.
So a few weeks back I went to a concert with my brother (from another mother) Scott and the guy who ended up sitting next to me that night.. you won't believe it he was almost my original size before I started losing weight.
I learned so much in that night about the man I was that it actually sickens me to think I put my family and friends through that when I was larger. Few things I noticed.
This guy could never catch his breathe, he let off excessive amounts of body heat which caused him to sweat and smell, he couldn't keep his legs together and always ended up having to extend his legs out to the sides, he held onto the front railing for balance and each time he moved I felt everything.
It was an unconformable experience but if there was ever an experience that needed to happen and one that I had to learn from it was that, I am so very thankful to whatever being or thing that made that happen, I would never have had my eyes opened that wide and a lessened never learned so well than that experience.
To Cam, Damo, Mickie, Scott, Marvin, Zane, Daniel, my parents, my family I can never apologies enough to having put you all through that each and every time I was around but what I can say is am now so very great full and eternally thankful to you all for sticking around and seeing my inner beauty and that inner beauty is who I am today. From the very fabric that is my soul thank you all for being there, I now understand.
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
So the past few weeks now I've been "testing" with food to see if I can make myself plateau and I did succeed, as far as my surgeon was concerned I had lost 6 kgs in 5 months, however the past 6 weeks I was losing 100grams a week. How did I do it? Ate all the wrong foods, so to be proactive I asked my surgeon when I saw him if I could see the nutritionist about my diet it's unstable and I need to find even ground to slow down my weight loss in a more healthy way.
The Great!
So I meet up with Ben and Dylan (mentioned them both in blog 5) and wow, it was awesome the whole healing process is complete with those guys they were genuinely happy for me and my changes.
I had a chat to a guy named Oli who had taken the picture back then (which I linked in blog 5) and he never recognised me, when he did it was like "wow, no way, it can't be you" I'll just sit here and grin ear to ear, it makes me so proud to think that people see me in a different way now, not only am I invisible but I'm also a motivation for those wanting to make changes to their own lifestyle.
Stupid me forget to get pictures taken I was a little caught up in the chatter that it never occurred to me to take any media with them, bah, but I did ask when the next show is, we can do it then :)
The Magnificent!
Before all of the above I visited an old doctor of mine (David is his name) that I hadn't seen in a long time, about 2-3 years ago was the last and before that at least 3-4.
Let me take you back a few years to 2005 to be exact...
"Adrian, mate, you have to lose weight, the road your going down is not a good one, you have elevated blood pressure and your body is starting to shut down from the weight. If you don't make a change soon I can't see you having a 30th birthday".
I asked then what options were available he mentioned lap banding, I shook it off told him I wanted to try and lose it myself before that happens. He respected my decision and off I went.
By now you know most of the story leading up to 2010 so ill skip to that, what I haven't mentioned will come later.
So I go back late 2009 and tell him I'm ready for the lap banding after a referral he gave him his best wishes and that was the last I saw of him. As mentioned in Blog 8 depression hit me when I couldn't get the lap banding because I gained weight, thankfully a few months later my mother knew a family friend who happily referred me to my surgeon and the rest is history.
So I stand up and look at David (old doctor) and he smiled ear to ear gave me a pat on the back and asked me how I was coping with the banding, I told him what had happened and he was in shock, to gain 20kgs in 1 week is physically not possible... but it happened to me, I informed him on the gastric bypass and told him how it goes and he was in shock. "The best thing is that it isn't reversible", "that's the best thing?", "Yup, the operation can always pull me up when I need it and I can admit when I need help". It was amazing to see his face, he has seen me at my worst and today, this man sitting in front of him was a different man from before, pride, confidence, self love and respect, tis a great thing.
Oh and here's a story for you before I head off to eat my dinner..
You know when they say "God does thing's in mysterious ways"? Well for those not religious let's call it Karma or Fate or just plain dumb luck.
So a few weeks back I went to a concert with my brother (from another mother) Scott and the guy who ended up sitting next to me that night.. you won't believe it he was almost my original size before I started losing weight.
I learned so much in that night about the man I was that it actually sickens me to think I put my family and friends through that when I was larger. Few things I noticed.
This guy could never catch his breathe, he let off excessive amounts of body heat which caused him to sweat and smell, he couldn't keep his legs together and always ended up having to extend his legs out to the sides, he held onto the front railing for balance and each time he moved I felt everything.
It was an unconformable experience but if there was ever an experience that needed to happen and one that I had to learn from it was that, I am so very thankful to whatever being or thing that made that happen, I would never have had my eyes opened that wide and a lessened never learned so well than that experience.
To Cam, Damo, Mickie, Scott, Marvin, Zane, Daniel, my parents, my family I can never apologies enough to having put you all through that each and every time I was around but what I can say is am now so very great full and eternally thankful to you all for sticking around and seeing my inner beauty and that inner beauty is who I am today. From the very fabric that is my soul thank you all for being there, I now understand.
Be sure to add yourself to http://www.facebook.com/groups/AdriansGastricBypass/ if you haven't already for the latest photo's and updates.
Thank you for reading.
Big Age.
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