Please Sponsor Me....

Hi everyone
just a quick one to ask all my "readers" to dig deep and sponsor me for my half marathon on 2 March 2008.
After achieving such a mammoth weight loss I decided to throw myself into my chosen exercise "running" well who would believe it almost a year to the day since I started CD here I am trim and healthy and running 4 mornings a week!!!
Please dig deep
click on the link at the top right or visit
www.justgiving.com/alanparsons

many thanks in advance

Slimmer of the year Dec 2007 "Runner up" photos

22 November 2007 12 Weeks of maintenance

Hi everyone, just dropping by to give you all a little update. I had my meeting last night with Chris the Cambridge Diet PR man concerning the forthcoming slimmer of the year awards and conference.
He spent nearly an hour going over our story (me and my wife) and asking questions about why we done the diet, how we felt etc etc. It was a very relaxed informal affair and has me now even closer to the edge of my seat. My wife and I have entered the award as a couple, we dieted together, shared everything so we entered jointly for slimmer of the year. well to lose 21 stone+ between us is no mean feat, we were there for each other and still are so thought it only right we enter as "one" Chris was blown away by our before and after pictures and seemed to like the story of our journey.
We have been told that 60 people have been shortlisted, this will then be taken down to 10 finalists on conference day and the winner gets taken to the Far East for a makeover and photo shoot next April..... ooooh I am so excited I so hope we do well

It has been 3 weeks since I saw my CDC and I have had a couple of large "naughty" meals but have been keeping up my running / marathon training. Well I got on her scales only to see that they were showing a loss of 2lb taking me down to 12 stone 5lb which is good, I had not had my dinner either so all in all that would probably have balanced back up to my steady 12.5 stone which I am happy to sit at.
As I said I continue to run, I am following a training plan and this varies distance and pace for example on Sunday coming I will be doing a 7 mile run at a speed of 10 Min's per mile but today (yes I have been out this morning at 5am!!) I done a warm up jog of 1 mile then 3 miles at 9 Min's per mile then a 1 mile warm down jog. that gave me a total of 5 miles today which blows out the cobwebs ready for another day at work.

Must dash now, The slimmer of the year final is being held on 1 December so not long to wait, I will keep you all posted
feel free to email me thebigdiet@hotmail.co.uk
best wishes Alan

Week 41, 9 weeks of maintenance completed

Another good week all round for me, apart from one crazy thing I have done today......
I have entered myself into the Reading Half Marathon on 2 March 2008!!!
I have been running for a few weeks now and love the feeling I get from doing it.
I was always the "fat kid" and never dreamt of running, my teachers would rib me and I had no interest in any kind of exercise.
Well being brought up in Reading I thought it poignant to return to do the half marathon that as a kid I would always watch and cheer the competitors. I will return "home" for the weekend where I still have family and attempt the 13 mile route. I am currently doing about 5.5 miles in just under 1 hour three mornings a week and have a training plan to follow to get me up to fitness to complete the half marathon!!
Still enjoying my food, that is my wise choices of food that I am having now. I am eating loads of fruit and veg and making really healthy choices. I do not have a weigh in this week but can see no reason for any increase. I do however have two slightly indulgent meals ahead, one when we have the neighbours around followed the following lunchtime by mother in laws birthday meal. Both of theses meals will involve eating some "unhealthy" choices but I will be right back on track straight after.
So I have placed a new ticker on this blog counting down until my "marathon" and nearer the time I will setup a "just giving" website for sponsorship and I will be after all you readers of this blog to dig deep for a good cause (yet to be chosen)
See you all soon
Alan

Week 40, 8th week of maintenance completed

Just been for my weigh in for the first time in 2 weeks and have shown a loss of 2lb, taking me back down to my target of 12 and half stone!! I am really pleased at this and equally pleased that I am managing to "maintain" take a look at my graph at the top of the page. Its doing exactly what I wanted it to do holding me fairly steady around my target. I know that the time of day when I weigh myself makes a huge difference, even now I can fluctuate as much as 9lb over a single day depending on things like what I have eaten and drunk, how long ago and when I last had a motion!!
So all in all I am happy with the level of food I am eating, If I calorie count it equates to about 1900 - 2000 calories or somewhere around 26 - 27 weight watchers points. I am using a CD bar for my lunch as a nutritional supplement really because I do not have time for preparing and eating a huge bowl of salad, and besides I just love CD Cranberry bars!!

I now have my appointment set for seeing the Cambridge PR man at my CDC's on the evening of Wednesday 21 November... Still very excited!!
I am not seeing my CDC again before that date and feel very comfortable with that, I know I am in control of my eating, for once in my life I control my eating not food controlling me!!
I will pop back periodically with any exciting news.
I will definitely update this blog after my appointment with the PR man in the run up to the December 1st finals!! I hope you are all rooting for me, I could do with winning an exotic holiday or some other nice prize!!

Best wishes to all of you on your CD journeys... stick with it, its worth it!!
Alan