A Grand Day Out! - Derby win at Wembley!

Didn't we have a loverly time
The Day we done the baggies ...

Paul standing poshly at Wembley.

What a great feeling it it to wake up in the morning and know you're two leagues above the forest! Fantastic. Billy Davies' Derby did us proud yesterday - fought like lions, had plenty of chances and took advantage of West Broms shaky defence to fire us into the stratosphere of premisership football next season. Wembley is a great stadium but the club debenture middle tier being empty is an absolute joke when there were thouands of Derby fans being turned away from queuing up at Pride Park. A real shame that Wembley couldn't get themselves organised. I went to the game from Ashbourne bus station at 7:30 we were queued up for the bus parking at 11:30 with half an hour stop at Toddington services which wasn't bad at all. Coming back was a different matter with us on the bus for 5:30 and getting home at 10:30 with only a ten minute stop on the way back. Wembley, it is fair to say is not sited in the best place for road-based vehicles. Mental note: use train and underground next time you fool. Prices at Wembley weren't as bad as some made out Fish and Chips was £7.00 and wasn't too bad if a little on the small side for the fish. Lager (yes had to have a few - knew we were going to win!) was £3.50 which is 60p more than at Pride Park without the massive queues. Wembley is certainly well resourced in terms of catering staff, which is nice.

Anyway we won and the baggies lost and now my season tickets which cost £400ish for Phil and myself are for premiership football and not coca cola championship football. Which is ace!

27-05-2007 - Weekly Biking Stats

27 May 2007 Weekly Biking Stats

Better week this one, not done any big rides at all - just got in solid 7.5 miles or so in morning and same at night every single day. Even working out in Redditch and London didn't slow down the cause which meant I got just into three figures on the total mileage front/ Crank is still jiggered but am putting up with it - having paid for great notts ride so have a fifty miler on the horizon now.

Picture to right is the trusty steed with the dodgy crank in the leisure centre car park, Ashbourne.

Sunday Total Miles Avg MPH
15/04/07 65.27 10.25
22/04/07 102.66 11.05
29/04/07 130.86 11.6
06/05/07 99.91 11.3
13/05/07 99.77 10.9
20/05/07 101.05 11.4

24-05-2007 Week 13 Weigh-in Another 2.5lbs gone, 3st 6.5lbs total

Weighed in today. Another 2.5lbs gone, 3st 6.5lbs in total, half a bloomin pound off 3.5stone!!! A great result that is, because I was in London yesterday (at Wireless mobility event) and had a steak and crispy onion sandwich and a side-order of chips, not to mention the fact that I'm returning to type a bit as regards bread. Have just discovered the Aldi store near where I work and they have loads of great cheap food - really good wholemeal bread, 6 french golden delicious for 99p, bio yoghurts with wheatgrain or something which not only take longer to eat than the Mullers but also have a lower calorific value per 100g than the Mullerlites? Have been off the booze now for nearly 14 weeks - mega result and no doubt having a significant impact on my weight loss. My short term goals are to get down to 15 stone for a company do in mid-June and to be down to 14st for holiday in August. People are telling me I've lost enough at work but I ain't for stopping just yet. Am also making a weekly trip to the gym every Friday afternoon which I don't enjoy at all until I hit the shower, which is absolute bliss. Am still getting fifteen miles a day done on the bike even on days when I'm down in the west midlands or down the smoke in the great metropolis. All this, plus I'm doing 100+ bicep curls everyday with 20+ lbs per arm which making the arms look good too! Four days til Wembley - Come on u Rams, the Premiership awaits some East Midlands class.

Current figures:
Start Weight : 18st 11lbs
Current Weight : 15st 4.5lbs (97.38 KG)
Loss this week: 2.5lbs
Total loss thus far: 3st 6.5lbs in 13 weeks.
New BMI: 28.65
Height: 6ft 1in (1.85m)
Blood pressure ten reading average: 131 over 80.78

Weekly Biking Stats Update 20/05/07

20 May 2007
Weekly Biking Stats
Just not quite scraped up to the hundred mile mark again this week but as near as damnit and I've taken the view that I'm putting in as much time as I've got. The crank's getting worse but I've decided I'll get a crank puller tool and swap the one out of my old Giant bike into the new Stealth bike. Average is also slightly down but that's because I'm doing some seriously hilly routes which involve pushing at times.


Sunday Miles Avg MPH
15/04/2007 65.27 10.25
28/04/2007 102.66 11.05
29/04/2007 130.86 11.6
06/05/2007 99.91 11.3
13/05/2007 99.77 10.9

17/05/07 Week 12 - 3st 4lbs gone

Weighed in today and although it's been a struggle this week I've shifted another 1.5lbs to get to 15st 7lbs. Even better, have got my tickets for Wembley. Cost a bleedin fortune and I'm a hundred miles up or something like. Not that I'm complaining - only fifty quid a pop - thank the Lord we don't go to Wembley every year!

Current figures:
Start Weight : 18st 11lbs
Current Weight : 15st 7lbs (98.52 KG)
Loss this week: 1.5lbs
Total loss thus far: 3st 4lbs in 12 weeks.
New BMI: 28.65
Height: 6ft 1in (1.85m)
Blood pressure ten reading average: 123.5 over 76.5

Visit to the Doctor / going to Wembley

Went to the Doctor yesterday for results of recent blood tests and a check for my hypertension. He's well impressed with Slimming World so I left him a load of info to have a look at. My blood sugar level has dropped from 7.2 to 6.1 (anything above 7 is considered in diabetic range). Blood pressure while I was there was 140/80 so he's pleased with too, so much so that he said "don't come back until Feb 2008" which I'm pleased about too.

What else can I get pleased about, well... Derby County the mighty Rams have overcome the young pretenders from Southampton by winning 4-3 on penalties. As normal we made things difficult for ourselves by losing the advantage of a 2-1 away win at St Marys and letting them beat us 3-2 in normal time, we then had 30 minutes of extra time with no goals scored and then we done em on pennos. Ace!

Only downside is the £48 for tickets at Wembley - robbing swines!

Golf Update - know what I'm doing wrong now.

Played at an Audi promotional thing in Loughborough on Thursday. It hammered it down with rain for the whole round and I scored a measly 27 points and was rather disappointed with my overall performance. However, the good thing was that Audi videod all players teeing off on the first. After the round I got to see the video and it's given me feedback on what I need to improve to get my game together. The video revealed that when I swing everything moves - a sway to the right on the back swing, a sway to the left on the follow-through. Absolutely awful.

So on Sunday (13th) I've gone back to basics and tried to minimise the swaying and concentrate on turning through and keeping my left arm straight (another fault revealed by video). This resulted in a much better performance. We played a stableford and up to 17th tee I was bang on my handicap from the white tees which were absolutely at the back on every hole due to the competition on Saturday being the president's putter. I've no idea whether I'd have kept it together on the last two holes as we walked off due to the slow play in front off us (we'd waited on every tee box and in the pouring rain decided to call it a day).

So in summary Golf on the up and looking forward to Invitation next Sunday when I've invited me dad over for a round and got a good tee-time (9:00ish).

Weekly Biking Stats Update 13/05/07

Weekly Biking Stats

Less mileage this week as I've been damned tired. Also been working in Redditch on Tuesday night and late getting back from Loughborough on Thursday night which ate into my potential miles. The crank on the bike has developed quite a bit of play which is irritating the hell out of me when I ride but this might be situation normal - I can't remember it on the Giant bike I used to ride though?

Sunday Miles Avg MPH
15/04/2007 65.27 10.25
28/04/2007 102.66 11.05
29/04/2007 130.86 11.6
06/05/2007 99.912 11.3

10/05/2007 Week 11 Weighin : 3st 2.5lbs gone!

10/05/2007 Week 11 Weighin : 3st 2.5lbs gone!

Progress still ticking along nicely, at start of week thought I was looking at a gain but all came together running up to Thursday. Which was a bit of a surprise as I had fish and chips and chocolate cake (not altogether) but still working well. Down on overall mileage on the bike this week at a smidge under a 100 miles (99.915) and average down to 11.3mph but am putting this down to generally being knackered! Haven't had a drink at the time of writing for 84 days which is 12 weeks and counting.

Coming up: Am planning to have a beer soon (in next few weeks anyway). Although this is dependant on things going my way! I'm going to watch Derby hopefully beat Southampton on Tuesday night at Pride Park. Couldn't get my season ticket because of DCFC's toss website but got what I think is a more central position anyway so should be good. If the mighty Rams do the business then I'll either have a beer on Tuesday night or leave it til Wembley!

Come on you mighty RAMS!



Current figures:
Start Weight : 18st 11lbs
Current Weight : 15st 8.5lbs (99.20 KG)
Loss this week: 2.5lbs
Total loss thus far: 3st 2.5lbs in 11 weeks.
New BMI: 28.85
Height: 6ft 1in (1.85m)
Blood pressure ten reading average: 123.5 over 76.5

Golf - still rubbish - 35 stableford points off yellow tools

Still not firing on all cylinders with the golf. Hitting some great drives, hitting some great irons, hitting some great chips and wedges, putting though..... aaaaaaaaaggghhh. I hate golf.

Cycling Week - 29/04/07 - 05/05/07

Been a good week on the cycling front. As of Saturday morning (not sure if I'm going out tonight as am golfing at 11:45) have done 130.86 miles. So, mileage is going up week on week and better than that, the average speed is now up to 11.6m.p.h

Although I can't find the webpage right now somewhere on www.slimming-world.com there's a page that tells you how many calories you burn up cycling. I found another website that says for a 167lb 37yr old (that's a bit specific isn't it?) if you're cycling at 12mph for an hour you use up 639 calories which is what I'm after (I'm probably at around 580 calories looking at their figures) but it all adds up doesn't it!

On the down-side on the cycling front - I've had the chain come off three times and the left pedal crank came loose when I was six miles from home one day. Now carrying a 14mm socket round with me just in case it happens again (always carried a 15mm one in case one of wheels comes loose). Last night was another pain in the ass when I got a puncture in front wheel (better than back wheel I suppose), I thought I could swap the tyres off my old bike as the new one's tyres you can only inflate to 50 p.s.i. which I don't like. However, the tyres on new one are 26" x 2.25" and the tyres on my old one are 26" x 1.75" which is a bit of a bugger! Anyway fixed the tyre after I'd been to the pub (one diet coke - £1.40 - landlords? bloomin thieves more like). Done the normal 10 miler this morning although tomorrow I'm going to go on a big trek before the Derby v Leeds match at Pride Park.

03-05-2007 Week 10 Weighin - 3stone award

Week 10 - Couldn't attend group as Thursday is shopping night which was a shame, I weighed and goed so I did which is not really the Slimming World way - it's a group thing, one for all and all for one is the general ethos.

Anyway the good news is that after ten weeks of Food Optimising I'm now down to 3st which in my view is tremendous. So, what are the secrets of my success, first of all you have to start from being tremendously overweight! That makes your weight losses really impressive. Next and this applies to folks who aren't tremendously overweight but want to lose weight anyway - and this is the most important thing - YOU HAVE TO MAKE CHANGES. My boss always says (well not always but now and then - "It's a form of insanity to expect different results from doing the same things" - how apt is that.

These are the changes I've made:
1). Have stopped drinking, at time of writing this is some 76 days (nearly 11 weeks)
2). Don't have milk in coffee no more and I now prefer it to white coffee.
3). Don't eat junk anymore.
4). Exercise a lot, lot more.


Current figures:
Start Weight : 18st 11lbs
Current Weight : 15st 11lbs (100.33 KG)
Loss this week: 2.5lbs
Total loss thus far: 3st in 10 weeks.
New BMI: 29.18
Height: 6ft 1in (1.85m)
Blood pressure ten reading average: 122.1 over 78.9