the baldchemists weight loss and restored health

Well, as most of you that follow my fight against the flab are aware, I had a relapse into my old habits. I have now officially become a recovering fatty. So although its not ok to go off the rails-shit happens and you must deal with it quickly.
It is important to acknowledge that you are fat and deal with it. My friends who say " go on twenty beers won't hurt you" and "three bits of cream cake are ok" are deluding themselves.
One of the essentials to feeling really good about yourself is to acquire obese and fat friends to hang around with.
But lets get back to my recovery. This blog is after all about ME!
After a few nights and days of excess holidaying, visitors from Australia, Sweden and England with no other motives than to indulge away from prying eyes of their neighbours back home using me as an excuse for their weaknesses, I ploughed the kilos on!
Seven weeks ago I weighed in at 95 Kilos( 210 pounds for our overweight American followers).
Today,and a little thank you to Simon Coldicott from Baansijan Resort and Spa for being my fitness buddy, and still is, ( you can catch up on www.baansijanresort.com) I am extremely proud to announce that my weight is EIGHTY THREE KILOS!
That is 12 kilos or 27 pounds in 7 weeks. No starving diets but an hour and a half of work out every second day.
No heavy weights. The heaviest weights were two 18 kilo dumbells during the last 2 weeks. What did we do?
Loads of repetitions (100) consisting of 8 different exercises which I will go over with you later this week, with pictures.
Judge for yourselves from the picture. I don't have any before pics( too ashamed).
Before you say "yeh photoshop" I will be only kidding myself if I do that.
So, I hope you are inspired enough to get off your bums and get active- NOW!
See you all soon.

A bit of fun while we win the war against the fat and flab

Those of you that don’t have a personal trainer, time go to the gym or just generally don’t believe in all the hype that the baldchemist espouses about fitness and fatness, can console themselves with the weekly training programme devised by the well known life style expert, Professor Liam Daley.
Professor Daley, at present ensconced somewhere at a lifestyle establishment in Double Bay, Sydney, has agreed to give exclusively to the baldchemist his personal programme.
You will note there is no need for expensive gym equipment or gym memberships. Professor Daley advocates the use of the stuff one deals with daily.
Monday:
Beat around the bush.
Jump to conclusions.
Climb the walls.
Wade through paperwork.

Tuesday:
Drag my heels.
Push my luck.
Make mountains out of mole hills.
Hit the nail on the head.
Wednesday:
Bend over backwards.
Jump on the band wagon.
Balance the books.
Run around in circles.
Thursday:
Blow my own horn.
Climb the ladder of success.
Pull out the stops.
Add fuel to the fire.
Friday:
Open a can of worms.
Put my foot in my mouth.
Start the ball rolling.
Go over the edge.
Saturday:
Pick up the pieces. And raise more than a few glasses to round off the week.
Professor Daley has, thanks mainly to this very strict regime, managed throughout his life, to keep in shape retaining his weight and figure constant.
Many thanks Professor, who we are led to believe holds nightly, keep fat classes in several establishments around the Eastern suburbs. We await in eager anticipation his next round of wisdom in the fight against the fit.
NOTA BENE.
Professor Daley does not work out on Sundays but spends the day relaxing and having a couple of well earned beers with friends before toddling off to Mass at the local ministry where he will imbibe a little wine. Allowing the body to recover before embarking on another hard work out week.

The slender waist and how to get one.

After talking with my great mate Simon from Baansijan resort here on Koh Samui and for those of you who would like to see the resort it’s on www.baansijanresort.com about weight loss and keeping fit. We came to the conclusion that trillions are spent every year all over the World by people wanting a flat stomach.
Now having a flat stomach myself, after working on it for the past month I have at last discovered the secret, 'cause it has to be a secret doesn’t it?
AND….. further more I will now reveal all to you free of charge!
With more than 200 abdominal exercise devices being sold for countless amounts of hard cash, you would have to believe these amazing new products have led to vast amounts of dieters walking around with a nice, lean mid-section. Well…. that ain’t the case is it? Why?
Because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abdominals! Simple.
In order to slim your waistline you must understand how the abdominal muscles function and how your body burns fat. Firstly, the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what happens to most people.
So if you are after a nice slender waist line and a flat stomach, the first thing you need to get rid of the layers of fat that are on top of your abdominals. We all have a flat stomach, it’s just some of us are covered by excess fat.
The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel). But be clear about one thing: Fat comes off the body evenly from all over the body! You cannot target one particular area to reduce fat.
The main function of the abdominal muscles is to flex your torso forward. There are also muscles that flex your torso sideways and muscles that rotate your torso.
How often do you see people on their “ab roller” doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups every day? What a waste.
If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises and change your eating habits a little. But we have covered that earlier:
Lie on your back, legs stretched out in front of you. Now lift them twenty centimeters off the floor and hold it there for the count of ten seconds.
Repeat that as many times as you can without putting too much strain on your back.
This will flatten the stomach. Not build it out like the proverbial “chesterfield couch”. Who needs that look? Only those with nothing between the ears.
The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked on no more than 3 times a week. You also want to make sure you train progressively, working just a little harder each time.
Stick with it. It will happen, but not over night.

fitness, diet and fatness myths and truths at last the truth

Ha ha. For those of you waiting to see the results of my excess eating recently, just hang on for the next post. I am almost back to my best weight ever. Pictures next week. In the mean time a little light hearted humour for those of you that take it all a little too seriously.
I took the time recently to discuss the concerns and myths around exercise and diet with one of the Worlds foremost experts on the subject, Professor Liam Daley, well known bon viveur and gormand.
The results will awaken new thoughts on diets. I'm astounded that we know so little. Thank God for the Irish.

Q: Are vegetables really good for my diet and how many should I eat on a daily basis?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn, vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering
vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. So cheers and good health.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening.... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. (There is actually some truth in this)

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? Cocoa beans! Another vegetable. It's the best feel-good food around! Fill your face as often as you can.

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales, walrus and seals to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: What do you think round is? It’s a shape of course!

Hopefully this will clear up the misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember, life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Bollinger in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, “ What a Ride!"

how to get rid of the holiday indulgence

Ok I know I have been a slack devil recently. The reason is I've been on holiday and just wanted to show off my new shape. Problem is I got lazy and after two weeks of total debauchery have managed to plow five kilos of fat back on. Bugger!
I often get emails from those attempting to get rid of the fat and freshen themselves a bit, who are frustrated and pissed off. They aren’t achieving their goals and they tell me they have “tried everything”. Some are in the throes of giving the whole thing up and resigning themselves to being fat and un-attractive. Ready to throw in the towel on exercise and nutrition. They feel nothing works. They start to buy into the idea that “diets don’t work so there’s no point in trying”. And sometimes they are right! Sometimes we want to indulge- just as I have.
I was like that once. The most annoying thing was that I could not figure things out. I ate well. I felt I was active. Yet I was 30 kilos overweight
The worst part was exactly this "what the hell is wrong" part. I felt doomed by genetics. I felt out of control. I felt powerless to do anything about it. I knew that crash dieting wasn’t a solution but I didn’t know how to change my eating (or that I should change my eating – I thought I was eating perfectly well). I wanted to feel good but I didn't, and no amount of rationalising or ranting about the health and beauty conspiracy worked.
In my years of experience as and someone on the journey of physical culture what I have discovered is that human perception has only a loose connection to reality. We do not see ourselves -- or others -- as we really are. We may see ourselves as fatter or thinner, healthier or less healthy, more or less muscular and so on. but unless we are highly experienced professionals, we are generally not in any position to judge our food intake, activity levels, degree of fitness, or body composition. So having said that now I start again getting rid of the 5 extra bloody kilos I put on.
Just watch this space and we'll see how we do it. Just hang in and don't give up.

The Best free diet - Water

The singularly finest diet help you can have is free and does more to assist your weight problems than anything else- Good old water. Drink water as often as you can!

Water-the most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off.
Don’t be under any mis-apprehensions – WATER. The ONLY permanent ingredient for weight loss!

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body flush out stored fat. Studies show, a decrease in water intake causes fat deposits to increase, while increasing water intake (drinking the stuff) really reduces fat deposits. Here's why:

Drinking plenty of water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it goes into survival mode! It perceives lack of water as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop.

Fluids are stored in extra-cellular spaces (outside the cell). Resulting in swollen feet, hands, ankles and stomach! Diuretics offer only a temporary solution at best. They force out stored fluid, the body perceives the threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. The condition, of course, quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of fluid retention is to give your body
what it needs- plenty of water. Only then will retained fluid be released. If you have a constant problem with fluid retention- excess salt may be at fault.

The more salt you eat the more fluid your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt and other unwanted stuff, is easy -just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys it takes away excess sodium and fat.

The overweight person needs more water than a thin one. Larger people
have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism,
it follows that the over weight need more water.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone assisting the muscles’ natural ability to contract by preventing dehydration. Water also helps to prevent the sagging skin that follows weight loss - shrinking cells are buoyed by water which supports the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of - all that metabolised fat must be shed. Water in adequate supply flushes out the waste! Leaves you feeling clean!

Water relieves constipation. When the body gets too little water, it syphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is the primary source. Result? Constipation. Drinking plenty of water, gives normal bowel function almost immediately.

REMEMBER! THIS IS WATER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE. NOT SODA POP, COCA- COLA OR THE OTHER SUGAR RICH CRAP! LET’S BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS!

The body will not function properly with insufficient water and will NOT metabolise stored fat effectively. Fluid retention shows up as excess weight! To rid yourself of excess fluid - drink more water! Drinking water is essential to weight loss!

How much water is enough? On average, a person should drink 4 liters every day. However, an overweight person, needs one additional glass for every 10 kilos of excess weight.

The amount you drink should be increased with brisk exercise or if the weather is hot and dry, just drink water steadily throughout the day. Keep a bottle handy all the time.

When the body gets the water it needs to function properly, its fluids balance. You reach "breakthrough point".

Now you’re talking! Endocrine-gland functions improve. Fluid retention is alleviated as it’s no longer stored. More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolise stored fat. Natural thirst returns. There is a loss of the hunger feeling, almost over night!

WATER - THE GIVER OF LIFE

Tips on Fighting the Fat

I know how it feels to want to lose weight, but find it hard to stick to a diet. There are so many different diets with conflicting advice that you just don't know what to, or not to, eat anymore

For someone who can't afford the pricey Mediterranean Diet, or cringe at the thought of a carbohydrate starvation diet, here are a few great tips that work as long as you adhere to them. Common sense tips on how to get your weight down even if you are a weak devil, like me and cant keep to any form of diet.

If you are drinking lots soda-then stop now! Change to water and it is usually enough get rid of 10 kilos a year! On average a can of soda contains 150 calories! If you stopped drinking just one a day, that's more than 50,000 calories annually. Seven kilos of calories, the sugar, plus the carbonated water gives fluid retention weight. Get rid of the carbonated soda drinks now!

Drinking lots of water, apart from reducing liquid calories ( for some people this makes up around a third or even half of their daily calorie intake), drinking five glasses of cold water in a day burns about 50 calories. It's not much, but it is about 3kilos a year. Switching from one or two cans a day to five glasses of water; you make over a ten kilo shift in one year! Easy eh?

Now, we mentioned this in earlier blogs but for Gods sake get off your backside and go for a walk! It’s is one of the best ways of burning calories and increases your metabolism. It’s easy on the joints, great for toning the muscles and believe it or not very natural. Just forty-five minutes a day not only burns loads of calories, but it simply makes you feel wonderful. Go before breakfast, early, before anyone is around!

Replace "bad fats" with "good fats." Bad fats are especially found in junk food, processed foods, and red meat. Good fats are found in nuts, fish, and olive oil. While you do not want to go to a high fat diet, the fats found in nuts, fish, and oil tend to fight the bad fat and bad cholesterol, and generally contain less calories than beef, for example. Lighter meats are generally better than dark. Get rid of the skin on chicken. Its only fat- doesn’t change the taste and halves the calories!

Use the stairs. Everyone likes elevators, but a few flights of stairs is muscle and aerobic exercise simultaneously. Since more muscle equals a higher metabolism, climbing the stairs has benefits well after you finish.

Fruit and Vegetables are the best because they contain vitamins, have very low amounts of calories, but are filling. A steak fills you up, so does a large dish of broccoli, cauliflower, or musk melon. Care to guess which one puts on less weight? Fat is non existent another plus.

Don't eat before bed time. This food is less likely to fully digest, meaning it goes straight into fat storage. Now this is the hard one because we all like to go out for dinners. It’s part of our social culture. Just be careful not to stuff yourself with too much junk. If possible, take a long leisurely walk before you go to bed

Drink green and other fruit teas. Other than water, there is no better drink. Tea is full of anti oxidants, it helps your organs run more efficiently, and your body requires calories to burn it. For those people getting off the soda, this can also ease caffeine headaches and other withdrawals.

Eat slowly. Many people grab seconds after wolfing down a first plate. If you are used to taking two or more plates and you eat slowly, you may be surprised after half an hour to realize that you aren't quite done, but you're already full!

Remember the apple pie versus an apple calculation? Apple pie gives 540 calories and takes 150 calories to burn! Meaning you store 350 calories as guess what –FAT.

An apple contains 50 calories and requires 150 calories to burn result- your fat reserves supply the needed 100 calories. Makes sense doesn’t it. It ain’t easy but persevere. For you and for your families sake.