Fat Fighter 2025 - The Year of the Fat Slob

[PaulB2]

21/2/2025 77.35 kg
28/2/2025 76.65 kg
07/3/2025 76.85 kg

Managed to give myself a calf strain on my run on Sunday so not much exercise this week and apparently I didn't adjust my intake enough. I'm going to give myself the rest of the week off and see if I can start the exercise again next week.

[Richard G]

---- Starting Weight ----
04/01/25: 75.0kg (Heaviest I've been for over 12 years!)

1st Target: 64kg, 25th May 2025. Around 0.7kg a week loss (not looking likely as of 08/03).

---- Past X Weeks (7 Day Rolling Average) ----
22/02/25: 73.5kg (-0.8kg)
01/03/25: 73.4kg (-0.1kg)
08/03/25: 72.7kg (-0.8kg)

Rough few weeks. Calf strain that still hasn't healed, issues with acid reflux (likely in part due to stress) and in the last week or so getting out of breath doing basically nothing (possibly reflux related?).

Sigh. On the bright side, the weight training is still going OK... thankfully other than a few leg exercises I don't really need to breathe that much when lifting!

Managed to give myself a calf strain on my run on Sunday so not much exercise this week and apparently I didn't adjust my intake enough. I'm going to give myself the rest of the week off and see if I can start the exercise again next week.

Knackered calf buddies! lol

[redefined_cycles]

Friday 3rd Jan - 83.7kg
Sunday 12th Jan - 83.25kg
Thursday 20th Feb 85.3kg

Right then, after the piling on of them couple of KG and then riding with JonC v2 who was having to wait for me every few miles, I set a target of 300g per day loss to at least get back to that point of 83.25 where I’d left off…

Fri 28th Feb 84.6kg and then fasting month started.
Sat 8th March 83.9kg (just about 5 hours after early morning meal for starting the fast, so I’m probably a bit lighter).

Let’s see if I can get sub80 before the Dales Divide!

[Rapideye]

Target 72kg

11/2 - 78.6kg
18/1 - 78.2kg
25/1 - 77kg
1/2 - 75.8kg
8/2 - 75.5kg
15/2 - 76.7kg
22/2 - 75.7kg
1/3 - 75.9kg
8/3 - 75.8kg...ok, doesn't look impressive in any way but as I've come off the back of a birthday last weekend and eating through a more-ish chocolate mix given as a present, I'm more than happy with that. I do need to be careful of slipping into bad habits again though.

[PaulB2]

Managed to give myself a calf strain on my run on Sunday so not much exercise this week and apparently I didn't adjust my intake enough. I'm going to give myself the rest of the week off and see if I can start the exercise again next week.

Knackered calf buddies! lol

I’m really hoping it doesn’t take too long to heal - I was just starting to ramp up again to 3 runs a week and was even contemplating going out on the bike. Outdoor exercise keeps me sane!

[JohnClimber]

Today I set up my new bike packing bike for its first winter wild camp/bivi out tomorrow night up in the Lake District.

Scott Scale mountain bike
Tools & spares
Toiletries
Change of clothes for overnight sleeping
Sierra Designs Backcountry bed 20 sleeping bag
Winter down Exped insulated mattress & pump
Sierra Designs Bivi bag,
New Fextail pillow
Waterproof coat
Insulated jacket
2 full bottles of water
Bags and front pannier rack
Powerful light and battery for riding after dark
Powerbank
----------
Back in July 2024 I weighed 87.9kg
-
So, with me holding up my bike on the scales as well as all of this kit the scales now say 87.6kg



So all this weight that you can see in this photo I was carrying around in fat.

PS, I'm not planning to lose any more I'm happy here around 73kg, I just need to maintain it.

[Rapideye]

Good work, John. Struggling to lose a fairly small amount in comparison. The shame of it. No weigh-in this week or next but probably for the best as had to miss runs, didn't eat well and snacked too much. Back home next week for a break, so little effort will be made with haggis suppers to enjoy and a gig night out. Back to it in a couple of weeks.

[redefined_cycles]

Today I set up my new bike packing bike for its first winter wild camp/bivi out tomorrow night up in the Lake District.

Scott Scale mountain bike
Tools & spares
Toiletries
Change of clothes for overnight sleeping
Sierra Designs Backcountry bed 20 sleeping bag
Winter down Exped insulated mattress & pump
Sierra Designs Bivi bag,
New Fextail pillow
Waterproof coat
Insulated jacket
2 full bottles of water
Bags and front pannier rack
Powerful light and battery for riding after dark
Powerbank
----------
Back in July 2024 I weighed 87.9kg
-
So, with me holding up my bike on the scales as well as all of this kit the scales now say 87.6kg



So all this weight that you can see in this photo I was carrying around in fat.

PS, I'm not planning to lose any more I'm happy here around 73kg, I just need to maintain it.

Wow that really does put it into perspective. Effort/time well invested. I'm still working at losing all my biking gear in fat John. Until then you'll just have to keep waiting for me up top of the hills

[Oxoman]

Recent refugee from BR. Just touched 100kg in approx 2017 and went on a voyage of discovery losing weight. Got down to 68kg but looked ill, settled at around 74kg. Fast forward a few years and I'm 85kg even though I run regularly and still bike but not as much. Currently trying to get to around mid 70s if I can. A few tweaks to the diet and portion control might help. Doesn't help I suffer with high blood pressure and getting that under control isn't easy. Will hopefully get there again.
March 2025 85kg
Dec 2025 75kg target
2026 keeping the weight stable in the 70kg ish range.

[PaulB2]

Since I need to go the doc to tell him about my high blood pressure and I run 2-3 times a week how do you find the medication affects your running?

[Oxoman]

It's not affecting my running other than advised to not do sprints or sustained max efforts. It's given me an excuse to back off on structured speed and hill work. I do find i get tired more but whether that age, medication or the high BP i don't know. Didn't get on with first tablets as caused issues with gums. Just watch for changes however subtle when you first go on the tablets. My GP dishes out statins regardless of if needed when prescribing BP meds, not sure if they cause more problems. Good luck getting it under control. PS don't deny you have an issue as they don't call it the silent killer for nothing. Book the appointment.

[redefined_cycles]

On a side note but equally linked, it's brisk walking that's one of the best for managing blood pressure (from an exercise POV). Also if you do already, then this is the time to give up drinking and smoking completely.

Cholesterol will likely be playing a big part so trying to go semi vegetarian (or at least cutting out meats like pork completely [sorry, I know I heard it tastes nice]) and the statins thing!!! Maybe add regular big spoon of olive oil twice a day (raw, organic, single origin)...

You really will be amazed at the results but gotta be patient about it. High BP doesn't develop suddenly but over many may years. You can tackle/manage it [oh, and salt intake obviously, management of it] guys. Stay focused

[Oxoman]

Sadly I upset my quack as I exercise, pretty much everything I eat is fat free, sugar free etc. Hardly drink and definitely don't smoke. Only drink decaff. Quack was upset because I have a better 5k Parkrun time than she has.

[redefined_cycles]

Since the month of fasting started I've not had any caffeine. Redbush tea and only a coffee or two that turned out decaff. That might explain how I got up some gruelling rocky ascents without popping the heart. Previously I'd have been huffing and puffing and you might well have just explained myself to me. Thanks Oxoman.

[PaulB2]

I had to give up caffeine a year ago now, rarely drink and have never smoked. I do eat too much sweet stuff. My running is normally a gentle amble trying to stay in zone 3 though I had to switch my trail running group night recently and that’s a lot faster paced than I normally run (according to my watch the last run was 40% zone 5 which I highly doubt).

[PaulB2]

28/2/2025 76.65
07/3/2025 76.85
21/3/2025 75.95*

Going in the right direction
* Drank my coffee before I thought to weight myself.

[redefined_cycles]

Not got a weight presently. But this last week, about 75 miles in mtb commuting with the month of fasting. Then a day of a 35 miler before them. About 3500 calories burnt on the 35 miler and then just shy of 2000 calories x 3 on the three work commute days.

Just about managed on this side of 'idiotic'. Similar commutes again (×4) from Monday hopefully. But am really thinking to try and get a new route built for each week I go there to work. Watch this space, am expecting good weight shavings (I hope).

[Richard G]

Still not well, lungs are fecked and I seem to have developed really bad acid reflux.

On antibiotics at the moment, but it seems more like a "we'll try this as we have no idea what's wrong" move.

Going to skip on the weight tracking for the foreseeable future as my mental health already bad enough due to not being able to train. Don't really need to add "failing to lose weight" on top of that.

[Rapideye]

Hope things pick-up for you soon, Richard.

[godivatrailrider]

Hope you improve soon Richard !

I need to get back on track ...

[Richard G]

Just been at the hospital for tests on what's been causing me shortness of breath the last month or so...

Not the worst it could be (it's not heart failure / cancer), but it's pretty catastrophic for the long term. Double pulmonary embolism (clot in both lungs). Will be on blood thinners for the rest of my life, and that's likely the end of bike-packing for me, at least in remote areas.

Needless to say, I'm gutted. Also annoyed at pushing through it for so long, though it wouldn't have made any difference long term (they think I probably haven't damaged my heart).

[JohnClimber]

Just been at the hospital for tests on what's been causing me shortness of breath the last month or so...

Not the worst it could be (it's not heart failure / cancer), but it's pretty catastrophic for the long term. Double pulmonary embolism (clot in both lungs). Will be on blood thinners for the rest of my life, and that's likely the end of bike-packing for me, at least in remote areas.

Needless to say, I'm gutted. Also annoyed at pushing through it for so long, though it wouldn't have made any difference long term (they think I probably haven't damaged my heart).

Gutted for you Richard, stay strong

[Richard G]

Gutted for you Richard, stay strong

Thanks John. I don't think it's fully hit me yet... I guess I'll just have to re-evaluate things once I'm past the first stages of treatment.

[redefined_cycles]

Sorry to hear that Rich. Hope you manage to get through the worst of it and your health improves.

[godivatrailrider]

Heck Richard ! Take time to let stuff settle and take things slowly for a bit... hopefully bikepacking isn't completely off the table. Fingers crossed for you bud !