A lot can change in two weeks, if you want it to...

I started this diet 13 days ago and for the first week it was very hard, I don’t know about everyone else but during the week days I find it quite easy to diet whilst being in the routine of work and the gym. What I find challenging is the weekends, no chocolate, alcohol, bread or crisps. This can be quite daunting when you have a lot of time on your hands with not much else to do, especially as I’m saving towards buying my first house.  

The weekdays of the first week were challenging at night because I’d get back from the gym, eat a balanced evening meal and then feel the need to snack around 22.00. Unfortunately I did this every night during the first 7 days and although my meals were very well planned and balanced, I’d feel like I’d let myself down being so close to the finish line every day. You will always hear people say that it is easier to gain weight compared to losing it, this is something I’d agree with on a mental level.

I believe that dieting can be largely attributed to your mental state, during my first week I was slightly worried about the visit to my knee consultant but after getting good news that there is an 80 percent chance physiotherapy will cure my problem I suddenly found the concept of getting fit much more acceptable and easier to abide by.

I started on 240 lbs, I am now 231 and feel much more energetic already. What I find strange is that I have managed to get better results whilst weight lifting, achieving results literally in weeks compared to months of half arsed attempts. If you’re really up for a diet then you should do it properly, I understand why people constantly say ‘I need to go on a diet’ or ‘I wish I could lose a bit of weight’, what I can’t understand is why they don’t do anything about it and run away from it. I don’t really see any excuse for not doing something that you want to (unless it’s illegal etc), you only get one shot at life so why not give it your best shot and achieve as much as you can, this logic makes sense to me.

Diet wise this is what I will eat on daily basis, I chop and change a few parts but generally the timings and staples of the diet remain the same throughout the week.

8.00 – Porridge, soya mil and natural honey.

10.30 – Apple.

12.00 – Handful of sunflower seeds.

12.45 – Lettuce leaves and marinated chicken.

15.00 – Sunflower seeds again!

16.45 – Banana.

17.30 – Protein shake.

19.00 – Protein shake with recover carbs.

19.30 – Pasta sauce, small amount of pasta, chicken breast, mushrooms and broccoli.

20.00 – Orange or two.

I try not to eat any more after this, for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve had enough and secondly because it is not that good to eat just before sleep unless you’re trying to bulk up, something I am not interested in right now.

If anyone is interested in what types of workouts I do, then just message me or leave and comment and I’ll draw up a plan of what I do weekly involving cardio and weights.

Key facts:

Weight: 231.4 lbs.

Height 6ft 5” – This stayed the same for some reason.

Waist: 38.5”

Biceps: 15.5”

Chest: 44”

Inner thigh: 26”

Remember I’ve set up a JUST GIVING account, I don’t expect anyone to donate but anything received will be donated to the Alive and Kicking foundation. Wish me luck and will keep you all posted! If there is anything you want to know then you can e-mail me at daniel_vill@hotmail.co.uk or twitter me @danjel8.

Doing it for the kids.

Only 107 Calories!

Just Giving.

Big day for me, I have just looked back through my camera at some photos I took of myself a while back. I don’t know what has happened to me but since picking up injuries at the end of last year I have just eaten and eaten, I’d estimate this eating has equated to putting on about 18 pounds. On the day of writing this I am 17 Stone 2 lbs, a total of 240 lbs. Way too high, I know this and have known this for a long time. I have decided to try and raise some money for charity, unfortunately I’m not a footballer or multi-million entrepreneur. However, I can do something and help out others, I can lose weight, once my knee is fixed I will be able to run and I am lucky enough to be blessed with decent health and outstanding facilities available to me that are provided by our government.

So for those of you that don’t know me, my name is Dan, 25 years old, I’m 6ft 5 inches tall and currently packing a few pounds that I don’t need (probably 28-30!). Something needs to change in my life, career wise I am happy for now, love the job I do and it is the only profession I have wanted to be involved in for several years since leaving university with no idea or direction. I’m relatively happy being single and have a good home environment living with my parents, sister and brother whilst I try and save up for a deposit on a house. I thought about keeping a track of this on video a while back but I just don’t feel comfortable with it. In all honestly I feel very uncomfortable about posting photos of myself, but I can make a difference to other people’s lives and change mine in the process.

For some of you, a challenge or conflict can make you feel uncomfortable. This is understandable. I am however useless without a challenge or competition, it’s what gets the blood flowing through my veins and makes me tick, I need it, I crave it and embrace it. Right now I need a challenge to make a change in my life, so I am setting myself a target of losing weight and getting into shape. Whilst I aim to do this, I also hope to generate a donation of £100 for Alive and Kicking a charity based in Africa  that aims for every child to play with a real ball, where thousands of jobs are sustained in the production of balls, and where sport contributes to the eradication of deadly disease.

In the photo you can see my waist line is 41.5”, I need this to be nearer 37” so I aim to lose 4 inches from my waist, I keep a lot of lard here so this will either be quite easy (as there is most fat there) or it will be very hard (due to the fat there being stubborn). I am also keen to shed the lbs, (don’t worry I understand a smaller waistline will only occur with this!) my target is to go from 240 to a much healthier 210 lbs.

By the 31 August I hope to have achieved all of my goals, during that time I will be giving up alchohol, chocolate, crisps, bread and dairy products... five things I love very much. I will be cutting down on the nasty carbs and increasing my protein, replacing saturated fats with healthy natural fats such as sunflower seeds and olive oil. As I go I will update my diet plans and weekly gym work outs so that firstly I have a diary of what I’ve been through, which will inspire me when I’m down and secondly, if anyone feels the way I do, they have a guide of how to help them get started and do something about it rather than just sitting on your arse!

I’ve also set up a JUST GIVING account, I don’t expect anyone to donate but anything received will be donated to the Alive and Kicking foundation. Wish me luck and will keep you all posted! If there is anything you want to know then you can e-mail me at daniel_vill@hotmail.co.uk or twitter me @danjel8.

Key facts:

Weight: 240 lbs.

Height 6ft 5”

Waist: 41.5”

Biceps: 15.5”

Chest: 44”

Inner thigh: 27”