Week 2 weigh in

Here I am and once again it is time to weigh in and see what has happened this week.  This is the end of week 2 of my Lean Body challenge.  I can already notice quite a few changes like I feel more energetic during the day, I'm sleeping better and I don't feel so bloated after meals.

So I am expecting a good weight and fat loss this week, but expect the weight loss to slow down from next week as my weight training starts to build more lean muscle.  Muscle weighs more than fat, so as long as my body fat % keeps dropping I will be happy.  Also 1lb of lean muscle burns 50kcal a day, so by increasing my lean muscle I will burn more fat :)

So here is this week photo:

Now for the numbers... This week I weigh 89.9kg and have 21% body fat, which is a loss of 1.6kg (3.5lbs) and 3.8% body fat.  This brings my total loss for the 2 weeks to 3.7kg (8.1lbs) and 6.9% body fat, not a bad start hey!

My nutrition has stayed the same this week, but my exercise routine has increased.  I now do 2 weight sessions at BodyTech Gym and 4 runs at Southwick Country Park, 1 of which is the 5km Parkrun.

As always please leave any comments or questions below. Follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.

Week 1 weigh in.

With my 1st week over it was time to weigh in again and see just what had happened to my body. 

The main changes I made this week were to my nutrition and diet.  I stopped eating all the junk and processed foods, cut sugar from my drinks and didn't eat carbohydrates after 5pm.

I started an exercise routine, but having had 6 months off I need to easy back into it gradually.  So week 1 consisted of 4 runs and 1 weights session.  The runs were: 2x 40mins steady pace, 1x 30min steady pace and 1x 5km parkrun.  The weight session was a 30min circuit of: Squats, bench press, seated row, lateral lunges, sit-ups, bridges and plank - 40 sec exercise with 20 sec rest.

So here are the results for week 1.

My weight has dropped from 93.6kg to 91.5kg, a loss of 2.1kg (4.6lbs).  My body fat percentage has dropped from 27.9% to 24.8%, a loss of 3.1%.  I am very pleased with this as week 1 is just about making the dietary changes and adding moderate intensity exercise.

In just 1 week I have moved from being classed Obese into the Overfat group and well on my way to being back in the Healthy group again.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.  Why not follow my on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.

Day 1 - The weigh in

For the past 6 months I have done NO exercise and have eaten a lot of junk food, not something that comes very naturally to me but it needed to be done for this Lean Body experiment.

I was dreading this morning as I did not want to find out just how fat I had become.  It is one thing seeing the change in the mirror and getting out of breath playing with the kids, but to actually see in black and white just how un-healthy I had become was not going to be pleasant.

This is me putting on a brave face... the headline was quite apt as well "A humbling experience"!

So photo over, date proved etc it was it to get on the scales and find out the numbers that mattered... What did I weigh and what % body fat did I have?

Play the video to see the moment I found out I was 93.6Kg and 27.9% body fat!

It is now official I am Obese!  In just 6 months I have gone from 81Kg / 14% body fat to being Obese!

I think it is now time for My Lean Body Challenge to begin...

If you have any questions or comments, please be nice ;0) then leave them below.  Also please follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.

Mindset, Nutrition and Exercise - Get these right and you will succeed!

Below is just a short introduction to the three main components of putting together a successful plan and achieving your lean body goals.  I will blog about each of them individually later in more detail.

Mindset

Your mindset is by far the most important thing to get right before undertaking any challenge.  Lack of Motivation is listed as one of the top 3 reasons why people fail to stick to a diet or exercise routine.  I'd like to substitute the word "motivation" with "desire"!  When we desire something it means that we really want it.

Far too often we really mean "like" rather than "want", "I'd like to get fit" or "I'd like to lose weight", which means that the consiquences of failure are not enough to motivate us.  Habits are hard things to change, so without a true desire for change we fall back into our old ways.

Sit down and write out what your goal is.  Think carefully about this and write in as much detail all the things that you want to ahieve, create a real mental image of your goal, how you want to look like, how you want to feel etc.  The more precise, focused and clear you are about your goal the more you will desire the result.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Nutrition

Firstly drink more water!  Keep your body hydrated by drinking little and often throughout the day, ideally more than 2 litres a day.

I do not like to use the word diet as it gives off a mental image of starving ourselves to get thin.  Hopefully we can teach you that moderation and informed choices are the keys to getting your nutritional plan right.  Yes we are back to planning again, it's the ex-Army in me... I like to plan :)

For me the rule is "You are when you eat" not "You are what you eat".  Again this is also about moderation and understanding what you are eating and never about a diet.  This is really about changing your long-term eating habits and not about a short-term diet.

Of course there are foods that really should not make it onto your nutritional plan, but the odd treat as a reward doesn't harm anyone as long as a treat is not a regular habit.  You are the one who puts the food in your mouth, no-one forces you, so take control of your nutritional plan.

Don't buy foods you know will tempt you to eat badly and clear out your cupboards of them before you start.  Out of sight is out of mind.  Stock your cupboards only with the foods that make up your nutritional plan.

Depending on whether you shop daily or weekly etc, plan your daily food diary so that you know exactly what you are having for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner.  If you get up in the morning without a plan you are more likely to just eat the first thing that comes to hand.

Portion size is very important and I will blog about this later.  Portion size is often the difference between an athletic body and a chubby body.

Exercise

Exercise is often the first thing people look to change when starting a challenge, but for me it is the last thing I get sorted.  That doesn't mean don't start exercising unless you have a mental and nutritional plan, just make sure your focus isn't only on exercise as the sole route to success.

Firstly don't over do it to start off with and if you have any concerns speak to your doctor.  Building up the time, distance, weight and intensity of your workouts will motivate you as you see and feel progression.

A good exercise plan should include both Cardiovascular (CV) days and Strength training days, the regularity of these should increase as you progress.  Some of you may start with one strength day and three CV days, others may do two strength day.  I will be doing three strength days and three CV days for my challenge.  Alternate between both types of exercise.

Cardiovascular days should be any activity that you enjoy i.e. jogging, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, rowing or the cross-trainer at the gym etc.  I will blog about the various types and intensity levels in more detail later.

Strength days should involve what's called compound exercises - compound exercises are multi-joint movements that require several muscles to move through a range of movement i.e. squats, bench press, back row etc.  I will blog about the 5 ways to keep your exercise routine fresh and effective in more detail later.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  Please leave any comments or questions below and follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.

Why "My Lean Body Challenge"?

The UK slimming industry is worth about £2billion!  Most of those involved in the industry try and sell quick solutions and miracle products/diets, cash is king and profit the name of the game.

Something needs to be done as currently 1 in 4 adults in the UK are obese and this stat is rising year on year.

So putting my money were my mouth is I wanted to show people how to achieve great losses in body fat without a diet or expensive products.  For me it is all about education, changing habits and mindsets - NOT profit, hence this information being free to view (google and body transformation routine and see what others charge).

In preparation for this I have stopped all my personal exercise routines and started eating the wrong foods at the wrong times... the result has been an increase of 100% in my body fat %, from 14% to 28% in just 6 months!  I used to be athletic and I am now obese according to the chart below!

The reason I have chosen to do this challenge myself is that I know I will stick to it and get the results.  Unfortunately the stats show that 95% of those who start an exercise routine or diet quit within weeks of starting.  The main reasons for this are 1) Lack of Motivation 2) Lack of Results and 3) Lack of support.  So I want to prove exactly what you can achieve if you stick at it.  By giving you support and motivation I hope that you will see the results and achieve your own goals.

In my next blog we will look at what you need to do to succeed in your own lean body challenge.  I will also outline my nutrition and exercise programmes.

Please leave comments and ask questions below and follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you,

Who is Andy Mackenzie?

Good question... ok well this is a photo of me taken about 7 months ago.

Tomorrow you will see what I look like now (before my lean body challenge).

I am 41 years old and work as a personal trainer, helping people achieve their personal goals and aspirations.  I've worked with a wide range of clients from house wives to international athletes and devised training routines for all types of goals from losing body fat to troops deploying to Afghanistan.  I have been in the fitness industry as an athlete, coach and personal trainer for over 16 years.

I served 12 years with the British Army in the Household Cavalry.  Although 6 of those years were spent as a full-time British Modern Pentathlete (tracksuit soldier).  I was also an Army Physical Training Instructor working at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

As a British Modern Pentathlete I have competed at World and European Championships, as well as World Cup events.  In 2003 I was ranked British Senior Men's No.1 (after selection comps), however that season was to end in a torn knee ligament and me retiring.

I also have to mention that I am as mad as a box of frogs (in a good way... if there is such a thing)!  Life should be fun and so I love great humour, laughing (mainly at myself) and fancy dress... expect to see plenty of all 3 in my blogs ;)

I have a real passion for all things Health, Fitness, Wellbeing and Sports.  I am always looking for a challenge and just love helping people achieve their personal goals.

I hope this brief Bio gives you a flavour of who I am and what I'm about.  If you wish to know anything else just ask or leave a comment below.  Follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.

It all starts Wed 6th June 2012

Hello, thank you for visiting this blog.

My personal lean body challenge starts on Wednesday 6th June 2012, however tomorrow I will be posting a blog about me, why I'm doing this, the nutritional plans and exercise routines that I will be following to achieve my personal goals.

I'd love you to come and take this journey with me, so come back and see what I'm up to. 

Every day I will blog about what I ate, drank, what exercise I did and also continue to offer useful tips and insights into how to achieve a lean body without ever going on a diet!  I also hope to take videos and start up a Youtube channel to help get the message across.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to add them below and I will do my best to answer them all.

Cheers,

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @fusionfitnessuk thank you.