nospecifics's posterous

Touchdown!

Close to a year after embarking on this weight loss journey, I have finally reached my goal of 80 kilos.

The initial weight loss was surprisingly fast. I lost the first 30 kilos in less than 6 months. However, it took another 6 months to lose the remaining 15 kilos. The last 2 kilos were the most painful and took 6 weeks to achieve. However my determination to complete the journey was intact and I just learned to be (more) patient.

My new challenge, starting today, is ‘simply’ to keep the weight under 80 kilos. At this stage, I want to stay positive and I need to believe that it will be easier not to gain a single kilo in a year rather than losing 45.

So far, I am being surprisingly cautious. I had fantasized about this moment and the celebration that would take place. Frankly, now I am just scared of messing up what I have achieved and I plan to carefully and progressively re-introduce some of the carbs or desserts. I am also trying to diversify my rewards, starting with sjopping for some new tech goodies and some new clothes. Having changed shirt size from XXL to M and lost over 30 centimetres of waist line means a whole new wardrobe.

At some point, I am planning to compile and post some more detailed information and tips on diet and exercise. However, I just want to make sure I am able to keep the weight off for a few months before making any recommendations.

I would like to thank my family, friends and occasional visitors of the blog for the constant encouragement and support provided along the way. So much has happened since the initial post. I am no longer 125 kilos, no longer single, but I am still 37 years old… well, at least for a couple more days :-)

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Give me 1 more!

After a few weeks of struggling with the diet since returning from Thailand, I have finally reached 81 kilos and I am now working hard on loosing the last kilo, hopefully within the next 3 weeks, in time for my birthday.

I am posting a few pictures taken last week end by a friend, a talented photographer. Frankly, the pictures look great but I have some difficulty to recognize myself...I think I need some more time to get used to the new me.  Between the weight loss, the shaving of my beard and trying out contact lenses, I am simply a different person. Lately, travelling and especially getting through the passport controls has become quite a challenge. 

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4, 3, 2 and back

I have left Phuket, having reached 82 kilos. Overall, I am quite pleased with the 8 kilo loss of the last 2 months in Phuket and I am now only 2 kilos away from my goal. I am getting impatient to reach 80 kilos and I am determined to stick to the strict diet and fitness for a few more weeks and just get it done and over with.

Going through the ton of mail and pending invoices sitting on my desk I am getting a sense of how long this last trip actually was… and how long the next few days will feel like. Strangely, what feels odd are small and insignificant details, such as having to wear socks and ‘closed’ shoes after 2 months of wearing only flip-flops. Not having to worry about mosquitos and getting badly sun burned. I already miss so much the local tropical fruits and the sea food.

Happy New Year 2555!

On April 13th 2011, I have experienced for the first time ‘Songkran’, the traditional Thai New Year celebrations. The core of the celebrations is sort of a kid’s dream: a giant, country-wide, water fight. As I still consider myself as a ‘big’ kid and I have been away from my PS3 for a while, I really enjoyed this harmless first-person shooter game.

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Enters Mascha

I met Mascha over a month ago at Phuket ‘Central Festival’ shopping mall. Mascha was working for the company ‘Slim Up’ and was selling ultrasound and other treatments to help with weight loss. At the time, my weight loss was stalling so the offer was tempting. I bought a few treatments… and invited Mascha to dinner. 

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40 done – 5 more to go

With 85 kilos, I have now reached the key milestone of having lost 40 kilos since June 2010. Hopefully, this is more due to the diet and training rather than the recent food poisoning episode. I had a ‘light’ celebration, allowing myself my first ice cream cup in 10 months… and it tasted just amazing.

I am now resuming the countdown for the last 5 kilos. With only 3 weeks remaining in Phuket, I may not be able to reach 80 kilos while on the island but will try to get as close as possible. 

Taking a break in Cambodia

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I returned a week ago from a trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat and other temples. I was particularly impressed by the temples being taken over by the jungle and those massive trees. The nearby lake and floating villages were also quite impressive.

Unfortunately, on my way back to Phuket, during transit at the Kuala Lumpur airport, I managed to catch a severe food poisoing and ended up having to spend 4 days in the hospital in Phuket. The irony is that I have been eating regularly from street vendors and local markets in both Thailand and Cambodia and I have not faced any stomach problem so far. For once that I was eating in what seemed to be a more sophisticated and clean place, I get good poisoning. Go figure. Anyway I have now recovered and I am back to training and swimming.

Just another day in the office

S7

I know I have changed quite a bit but I am the guy on the left :-) 

On the right is Chai, one of the trainer from Phromthep Muay Thai.

Over the last month, I have ‘only’ lost 3 kilos, and reached 87 kilos, bringing the grand total to 38 kilos loss since June 2010.  This is not so much progress compared to the last stay in Phuket back in August which averaged 8 kilos per month. Fortunately, in addition to the weight loss, I have also gained some muscle and improved general body shape from the Thai Boxing training and regular swimming.