This is the personal blog of Paul Petch a self professed outdoor addict, reformed graphic designer, picture taker & IT geek living in Christchurch NZ. While you are here why not subscribe to my tweets, Flickr, RSS and Vimeo?
Weight loss, nutrition & cycling
Fun, fat and flabby? (no idea what title to put in here :) )
It’s Winter time here in New Zealand and I’ve been thinking about the past of late and in particular my fitness and where I’m at. I’d say that currently I’m the fittest and healthiest that I’ve been since being a teenager- and that’s quite a statement isn’t it? Aside from the eminent pig disease, things are pretty chipper :) Last year I struggled beyond all belief to keep fit, but this winter it all seems a lot eaiser some how…and why is that? Well, I can attribute the majority of my health & weight loss to my fantastic nutritionist at the MINT clinic here in Christchurch who in turn gave me the insight and knowledge to eat well to provide me with energy to get fit, healthy and happ(ier). Hooorah.
I suppose this is an introduction post to what I hope to write more about in the future- nutrition, diet and fueling my riding/ sport. First things first though, if you want proper advice about your health and weight, please see a specialist…..these posts are based on my own experiences and I’m not a health professional..just some guy on the intertoobs :) Now we have that out of the way, lets get to it.
Bad lifestyle choices
People that know me here in New Zealand don’t really understand how much I’ve battled with weight issues and health over the years and in particular my time in Australia where I really let my shit go :D I had been a keen cyclist for 5 years or so prior to moving to Aussie from the UK, but I just lost the passion for the the bike when culture shock got in the way. Fast forward 6 years or so and I was at my heaviest, unhappiest and un healthiest state of my life. With the big “30″ approaching I had to make some choices. So I did.
I could ramble on about a fair amount of stuff that has been part of my past “habits” that include being an ex-smoker, workaholic, sugar addict, junk food fiend, and terrible nutrition which comes hand in hand with being unfit etc… but we all know how we get to be overweight and unfit. Don’t we? Poor diet and lack of exercise is the bottom line, and I made choices about a lifestyle and they were the wrong ones. By the time I had got the “passion” back for my riding it was all a bit to late, and I could not even cycle around the block without chest pains and head spins….I was as the French say…fucked. I’m sure that alot of you guys (and girls) can totally relate to this lifestyle/ event….and also the times when you just loose the buzz from riding and forget about the bike in the garage… with some terrible results. At 29 years of age I asked myself “DO I want to continue to smoke, eat garbage food and treat my body like crap or do I take back control of a life?”. I always had dreams of scaling mountains in a single leap or saving the world from eminent disaster…..but I had to start off somewhere :) So I quit smoking and dusted the trusty stead off and got back on the saddle. That was about 5 years ago now.
The start
Once I had decided to get fitter, I would exercise and not loose weight and I’d get sick and depressed. I would participate in cycling events to see guys hammering it around the course who would then get up the next day and go to work as usual….and just get on with life. I was so envious, and confused with their ability to do so much sport and still get on with other stuff in their life. It seemed impossible to me. I’d participate in events to be totally flat the next week- totally drained. After battling this cycle for nearly 3 years, I arrived in Christchurch and finally admitted that I needed some help. So I called a nutritionist and I’ve never looked back since that day.
In reflection, my diet was absolutely terrible and It had basically consisted mainly of sugar, saturated fat and simple carbs for lots of years. I was addicted to sugar and that’s how I was getting by and the cravings were worse than the cigarettes….it was un believable. Have you ever known anyone to eat a large block of cheese a week? or a whole tub of cookie-cream icecream in one serve? I have ;) I also had a severe protein deficiency as well Vitamin B and other essential minerals. Like I said, my diet was shit. Being a vegetarian did not help either and contributed to the majority of my lack of protein. Overnight though, it all changed and 12 months later my weight has gone “down” and stayed there, while my energy, vitality and health is off the hook. As for the sugar cravings…..they are GONE. The dietitian changed my life. FACT.
Today
Currently at work I’m seen as the “guy” who cycles, runs and does alot of outdoor sports. The fact is though, that I’ve struggled (and let’s be honest- I always will) to get fit and healthy unlike a large majority of ‘sporty people” and it’s a life time venture for me. What I want to share with you all in the next series of posts is how I managed to loose close to 20KG and get fit, and in particular 50% of that in the past 12 months! I’d like to talk a bit about my diet, mindset as well as my motivations and goals. I’m not wanting to get all wanky about it…but I do want to pass on some of my insights so that you might help you, or motivate you to at least look for good nutritionist. I’m also open to your advice and experiences too :)
Anyway, to much waffling and not enough photos. I remember the turning points of my path back to fitness and they are the Otway odyssey in Australia 2007, and 2008 and the 2009 SBS Half Marathon here in Christchurch New Zealand. There have been many others, some good and some terrible, but these events really stand out and are close to my heart because they signify the successes and goals that motivated my arse forwards. I’ve still got a fair way to go in my eyes with regards to my fitness and lots more events to do also….so the hunger ain’t ever going to stop now :D I’m never going to see 90KG on these weighing scales again. EVER :D
If you have any questions post them up! Once again, if you want proper advice about your health and weight, please see a specialist…..these posts are based on my own experiences and I’m not a health professional…just some guy on the intertoobs ;)
Please let me know your thoughts and own stories/ experiences - I’d love to hear about them.
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11 Responses to “Weight loss, nutrition & cycling”
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[...] Original post by mtbNZ {Since 2007} [...]
Big inspiration dude, im at the 100kg mark now need to get down to 80kg. Exercise is in check, just need to get the diet sorted :) time to ses a specialist.
Thanks mate :) Good to hear that your exercise is coming along. How long now before the run? Good luck with the Nutritionist too!
Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
I had a similar weight loss experience in my life. I have been practicing aikido since 1997, and as most martial arts, you gain weight over time due to muscle built. Back those days my weight was 74Kg… now I’m 96Kg. But until mid 2008 I was 88Kg and very happy with my overall fitness. I managed to combine jogging twice a week with MTB on weekends. The changes I did to my eating/drinking habits were to avoid chocolate at all cost and drinking beer only on Sundays. With that alone I could improve my endurance and motivate myself to train even harder.
But then, I got married… and usable training time soon became scarce. My wife loves to cook for me, so I can help eating a little more. Chocolate is back on the menu, so is some wine while watching movies at home. No more 40km Wednesday night bike rides… the good side of this is that my wife is becoming a good biker, and soon she’ll be able to do some trails with me and my bike friends. Hopefully I’ll be able to loose a couple of kilos when that happen.
Nice story Rodolpho :) I think that you have hit the nail on the head with regards to some variety. I pretty much do the same, two jogs, a sneaky daily commute and some Pilates during the week with a longer ride on the weekend. It not only uses different muscles, but gives the other ones some time to rest. It also stops me getting to bored :)
I’ll talk more about diet in the following posts, but like you have highlighted, alcohol and chocolate has some serious calories and fat. It’s amazing how quickly the Friday night movie + these goodies can see the bathroom scales laughing at you the following week. One habit that I had a few years ago was the tub of icecream with the movie on a Friday night…..and boy that was awesome! haha. But after realising what that junk was doing to my waste line and mental state (due to the huge amounts of sugar) it was easy(ish) to give it up.
It’s great that your Wife is working towards riding with you- that will be awesome. Watch out though….as she will want the good gear like on your bike after getting the bug! haha
Paul, great post…… Inspiring….. I have found that weight stacks on way more as I have past the age of 33….. The nickname Whafe came about becuase my dad used to always say ” I was a long streak of weasel piss ” ……. The Whafe part has stuck, but he always said, you wait till you near your mid thirties! He was so correct….
It gets harder with time too, having a baby daughter and less time to ride along with being busy with work, all the excuses hey….. :)
Oh and the fact that I HATE the wind trainer, 20 minutes and I am senile……
Keep these great posts coming….
Thanks mate :) “Long streak of weasel piss” haha!! that made me laugh. After 30 we do seem to but the weight on far easier don’t we? I know i keep harping on about diet- but the weight will struggle to increase if the food intake is correct……I know I know…..easier said than done! My view now is that – even if life is crazy hectic and I have no time for a ride/ run/ what ever- I can still keep the diet in check.
I’ve never used a wind trainer by the way…..and I doubt that I ever will. I’d rather go to the gym that has cable and some eye candy :)
Worth a look is Thrive in 30 which was set-up by Brendan Brazier who is a ‘professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition’. He has placed very highly/one a number of events including ultra-marathons.
I have found that my health and diet are best when at the peak of fitness. I have also found that when riding substantial distances (up to 200km) every day, I often eat less, though am more specific (fussy) in what I want to eat.
[I have have had a plant-based diet (vegan) for over a decade]
Hey Avolve :) I’ll take a look at that book – and perfect timing too as i got a book voucher for my birthday a few weeks that I’m yet to spend! Cheers.
Funny how when you exercise you eat less isn’t it? I must admit that I struggle to eat what I’m supposed to when training…..it’s just ridiculous how much “stuff” you have to inhale :D Saying that, it’s vital to eat correctly to perform well and replenish the Glycogen stores/ protein repair etc. There is a book that I highly recommend if you are keen on sports nutrition- Sports Nutrition, by Anita Bean . Infact there is a whole series by this Author and they rock.
I tip my hat to you for being Vegan- that’s fantastic. Saying that- I eat hardly any dairy these days so I can understand how it might work out. BUT i do like the flavor variation that dairy brings to my diet- even good old Cottage Cheese!
On another note- the weather looks like your friend Downunder? lots of riding!! Lucky bugger ;) If you visit- maybe we could do a tour to Queenstown over Summer ;D
Hey Paul,
Good to see that your healthy, I was a bit worried about you a few years ago when you were here in Oz(especially the smoking) and good to see that you’ve stuck with the riding. Although I don’t do a lot of cardio work I am the fittest and strongest I have ever been now and hope to get fitter and stronger.
If you ever make it to Warragul again let me know, it would be good to catch up.
Nice Blog
Cheers mate :) Amy & I are back in Australia in October (if I can sort out my passport) so maybe we could grab a coffee? I’m not sure what I’m upto exactly though as I could be spending most of the trip in Melbourne.
Thanks for the kind words about the blog too- much appreciated. Be well :)