I fell off the wagon…and now I’m back on!
This whole shedding timber malarkey I’ve realised is all about balance…and I use that word wisely! I have tried to see how “balanced” I could make my life and this whole dropping a few pounds thing and I firmly tipped it the other way. So far the most important lesson I’ve learnt…and should have known this from the start is that rules are a good thing. A few rules here and there should be applauded…and used to keep you on track. Once you break one, you might break another…and another and so on!

As an example of how this came about I started to have “the odd beer” outside of my champion rule of no beer unless at the nags…or stags! This rule was designed to limit my lovely beer intake and make me opt for more slimline options such as gin and slim, voddy lime and soda (rare occasion), or any spirit with a diet softy! You get my drift I’m sure. Problem is beer is too easy to enjoy…it’s too easy to have 8 pints…and then a kebab, or a lamb salad with pitta (as I like to pretend they are called…sounds so much healthier).

So o broke my rule and started having a beer and placing a bet on the nags on my phone (ridiculous I know…and I’m rubbish at betting so this only goes one way…double disappointment)…then next minute I’m having casual beers with mates, family, colleagues, and even neighbours…who do I think I am?! 

Next on the list is the gym…slipped right off that didn’t I?! When you’re living without rules it’s easier to avoid the things you can’t be bothered with and when you feel sluggish it’s harder to drag yourself to the gym…even when all your lovely work pals are strolling off there of a lunchtime.

Because of these actions I’ve probably only dropped a couple of pounds throughout March and the start of April. I mean don’t get me wrong I’m looking like a Men’s Health model* but this whole no rules thing ain’t for this media Bison! It’s Monday…a fresh start…a chance to get back on the waggon and rally up a few others with me! I’ll be making sure I have my breakfast, lunch and dinner all pretty Paleo/Lean…ish and making sure I go and do some sexy spinning at the gym today! It’s back on gangsters and I need to see another stone in the next 6-8 weeks at least! Then I’ll be looking practically too skinny** but fortunately as I enter bulking phase*** over the summer this will all be cool!

Peace out for today my fellow followers…keep happy, keep focussed on what ever you’re focussing on in life…make a few rules and stick to them…and more importantly keep being the best human being you can be in what ever you do…oh and be nice to other people and smile plenty (it’s good for you…#science)

*denotes a lie…I’m still ruggedly handsome though

**denotes another lie…I’m still ruggedly handsome but could probably afford to lose another 6 stone before someone might say the words “you look too skinny”

***not a real bulking phase…just the word I use to say I’m now eating double portions and probably drinking beer again…and pasta…and sandwiches

Lamb vindaloo with keema naan…Paleo? Discuss…
So I knew from the off I would go somewhat off piste this weekend…but I didn’t think the recovery day of Sunday would be so ridiculous.

With Friday off work, my ginger chicken lunch prepared for the journey and two of my mates in toe…we set off on the nearly 5 hour journey to Masham for our friend Warwicks (to be known as Warren) stag do! #ladsladslads #stagsornagsrule

Great car journey and kept it Paleo with my pre prepped ginger chicken but on arriving at the very un staggy rather beautiful house I Masham a bottle of fizzy carbs was thrust in my hand…and I couldn’t have been happier! A cold Heineken…perfect! After all this was a stag and I don’t like to break rules! Some 2346 pints later, a brewery tour, two benches I broke, some shooting and a couple of portions of fish and chips later it was Sunday. What happened next was un expected…  

We were officially off stag so drove home and as we stopped for a service station lunch I found myself ordering a subway salad and a coffee #paleoas It was delicious…and I could already feel the beer carbs being neutralised! We carried on our journey and upon getting home I text my mate to see if he was around for a roast later on. He’d just eaten with his parents but encouraged me to meet them anyway. This was always going to be a bad idea…as we all know what goes well with a country pub and roaring fire is a nice cold beer! I buckled…I wasn’t stagging…I wasn’t nagging…I simply found myself having a beer in the pub. A few of these glasses of fun juice later and I’d cancelled the idea of a roast dinner and firmly planted the idea of a lamb vindaloo on my head. Who was this rogue in my head making me drink beer and eat curry…I’m not going to lie…I liked this renegade!

So…I ordered a lamb vindy, mushroom rice and keema naan and went home to greet the delivery man and enjoy these choice Indian flavours all before my lovely gf returned from a weekend away. She looked confused as to why she had a slightly tipsy boyfriend with curry all round his chops on a Sunday post two days stagging. Even I was confused!

Back to it today! Back on the waggon…back to reality…as much as I like the rogue…still got a way to go so curry, naan and beer Sunday’s need to do one!

February…tick…another 10 pounds down

Okay, so I had a better start to the month than most…and you’d be right in thinking this…getting ill, looking sick and losing 4lb in day and 7lb in a week was a pretty strong way to kick start my month. It would appear despite contrary belief that getting ill and looking sick helps you lose weight, that this was 50% water loss I reckon. I popped a couple of pounds back on after the ill week when I started eating again but didn’t let that stop me in my mission to get a body like Arnie (okay maybe not quite…but at least to look healthier and happier).

I’ll not lie to you either…I had several beers (obviously accompanied by betting on horses…the old nag and stag beer rule was in full force) in the month of Feb. I still avoided generally drinking beers in the week (but replaced with many gins and wines) but because of the wonderful people I work with there are always occasions to enjoy some social midweek drinking…in fact if anything I’d say it’s encouraged! So…there were dinners, lunches, parties, birthdays a plenty…and even a massive curry where I lost the plot and ate so much food I was nearly sick…but I still managed to lose 10 flipping pounds!

The principle stayed the same…in the week try and train in the gym (insanity or spinning classes) at least twice, ideally three times…and if lucky four times. Then…try and do a min of 10,000 steps a day walking. Keep meals as paleo/clean focussed as possible with good but not ridiculous portions and make sure I had at least breakfast, lunch and dinner…with protein snacks thrown in when peckish.

Some of the delicious meals I made…note the general stacking and layering theme…I need to get a grip…

The weekends were a bit too big in places but I tried to only booze on one of the nights (this wasn’t always an option)…and to where possible stick to slim drinks! February was a wonderful month though and not only were mid week nights often packed seeing friends and colleagues…but weekends were outrageous! We went to three birthday parties (one of which I’ll go into more detail on below), three dinner parties, and a mega roast every Sunday! Honestly I think I’m starting to nail the sh*t out of this balance thing…basically if you don’t go nuts in the week and eat pies, sandwiches and chips every day with beers to wash down and eat lots of tasty healthy food and do some exercise you can go a bit wild at weekends without worrying too much!

With nags, stags, and it would appear special birthdays you can’t beat a good old beer…but all in moderation

I also lost my phone (twice)…finding it once…and then totally losing it a second time so took very few pics as kept using my temp phone for a bit. A refreshing experience when you can’t access the www. emails, texts and calls at every waking minute…I think I’ll do it again or change my phone to a nokia 3210 once a month for a weeks break!

So with that also meant less blogs…and for that I’m sure you were all grateful…or not as it would seem after a few messages to get my bum in gear and get writing up some recipes and nonsense about what I’ve been up to. Anyway…I hope you had a smashing February and have an equally wild March coming up you lovely lot!

My Favourite Weekend in Feb…a Downton affair

Here goes…to my favourite weekend in the whole of Feb (sorry to the people that I spent the other weekends with…they were also incredible but this one stands out!)…So my Aunty Shazza, who is a good sort…a top lady…and loads of fun was celebrating a special birthday (I won’t say which one) and decided like you do to hire Downton F*cking Abbey…well it wasn’t actually Downton’s Highclere Castle…but it was a massive blinking house in Dorset!

I’ll be honest with you…I didn’t read the pre posted itinerary (I never do) that she had been lovely enough to have printed and posted to everyone. It’s a mistake I make with weddings and other events (I once missed my friends wedding by not reading this vital bit of paper)…anyway…I just paid up a couple of quid when asked if I’d like to shoot and go for a roast away from the house on the Sunday. In my head the house was going to be modest, we were all getting some posh frocks on the Saturday night for a couple of gins and then having a roast before coming home on the Sunday.

When we rocked up late on the Friday night after a busy days graft I was ready for a drink…and my sat nav had me pull up at a house that made me feel like I had already been drinking…had I some how ended up at Downton Abbey on a Friday night for a few jars.

I walked through the grand double doors, into the hall reception with classical strings playing, to be greeted by my Uncle Steve serving up Power Margaritas and had one forced into my hand before I’d even had chance to even get my coat off (won’t feel the benefit)! I HAD ARRIVED! It then took me 30 mins to check out about half of the house whilst continually having fresh margaritas popped in my hand. A few hellos later to family and friends I was well and truly in the zone and talking bollocks already in what felt like minutes. The margaritas were kicking in. Then…at 11pm I was feeling pretty peckish to be fair having not eaten…miraculously some waiters (who knew you could hire them in?) who came out of nowhere came around and asked that everyone go to the dining room for supper…we were then fed a cheeky 3 courses and many wines were passed around and I don’t actually remember much more of the meal but I do remember it was tasty. Apparently afterwards we went into the house’s very own on site “club” room (yes it had flashing neon lights…aka essential!) and danced to some motown and northern soul until I woke up on someones ensuite bathroom floor at about 4am to be turfed to bed! Strong start I thought!

Woke up relatively hangover free at noon…and was told to get myself together as a day of shooting was ahead! Lovely! Cleaned up…obviously! Returned back to the house to be greeted once again with a large drink by my Uncle just before the England Ireland game where I proceeded to start the proceedings! After Big Billy V finally finished running through every Irish man on the pitch, England won much to 95% of peoples happiness but a lone Irishman looked less than impressed…for all of 2 mins until he was handed a large gin and we all were ushered to our rooms to get our posh tackle on for the evening!

I threw on a little black number and accompanied by my lovely lady who also threw on a little black number (and looked like a mega babe!) to the champagne evening reception. My mum…who was also at the birthday weekend also happened to look like a film star…I can see where I get my devilish looks from!

Anyway the main event was now in full flow in the house’s dedicated champagne lounge…many many champagnes and canapés later (I am aware I sound like a tit)…we were summoned to another…yes another dining room for supper…

After the starter, one of my good friends and partners in crime (my cousins boyfriend) decided to pop to the little boys room (so he told us)  after consuming 5 pre dinner litres of fizzy wine this was perfectly feasible…a cool 20 mins later and not far off the main being served we were a little concerned…had he caught his tail in the seat? Had he been been caught short? Oh no…My cousin just popped to go and check on him to find him wait for it…having a classic tactical mid dinner nap in bed. Startled by her wake up call he joined us back at the table fully refreshed and ready for the main event.

We tucked into some delish food which I’d totally forgotten we’d pre ordered and clever lovely Aunty Shaz had got a chef in to rustle up this feast for us all. Then once we’d polished off the main two random young smartly dressed chaps walked into the room…and pulled a microphone out of his pocket and started ripping out Nessun Dorma…I kid you not Il Divo could have been singing in the room with us…every lady in the room was sobbing but next up…his mate dove tailed it with Mark Ransoms Uptown Funk…these lads knew how to please a crowd (they were no Il Divo…they were better…they were like Il Divo on acid)…we were up, dancing, and singing with them!

Fortunately this magnificent dining room was nicely close to the “club” room and some smart cookie (couldn’t tell you who as I couldn’t see by this point) took to the wheels of steel and popped some Abba on to get everyone moving! Perfect choice! Next thing I knew my mum was performing air guitar, my uncle was singing, my aunty was spinning…my girlfriend…was asleep somewhere…the party had fully started. I don’t remember much after this again apart from having a conversation with one of my auntys friends about a Fender Stratocaster…I don’t know a bean about guitars…but reckon I styled it out…

I woke up once again on someones floor and was turfed out! I woke on the Sunday to an actual hangover but I was driving later that day so spent my day relaxing, unwinding, hearing stories from the night before and generally working out how I was ever going to cope in my little flat and not being in a house with it’s own “club” room, champagne room, hot tub, and driveway longer than my road…I got over this by going for a massive roast and watching everyone else get drunk before I drove us home! What a weekend…incredible times!

Thanks Aunty Shaz for an incredible way to mark a birthday!

Get ill…look sick!
I remember the evening well, many years ago a friend of mine had just got out of hospital after suffering from a nasty bug (actually appendicitis…ouch). At the time a group of myself and best buds rented 3 flats in sunny Manchester all in the same building, and all next door to each other (a bit like in friends!). We engineered this over a couple of years until we had three flats! They were great times…times where we played darts for fun, ate rubbish, smoked things we shouldn’t have, made make shift bars in our flats and drank like fish! But too many baked bean pizzas and relaxing duvels whilst watching the BDO eventually caught up on my mate Dave!

Dave developed appendicitis! He was in hospital for a while and we were all worried (not really that worried…we knew the lad had alternative motives to being ill). When Dave eventually got out of hospital and returned back to the flats, we couldn’t believe it…Dave looked incredible! He looked like he’d been on a two week break with Mr Motivator and The Body Coach! Back to his slightly more ripped self and where had all Daves tub and excess timber gone?! We asked Dave the secret to his success and he responded…lads…”Get ill…look sick!”

  
We couldn’t believe it. Dave continued to explain this life long theory he had where a mild spot of illness (ideally mild food poisoning or a tummy bug) was something he’d considered a viable technique to shredding those late night kebabs and Big Macs! In Daves case this time his theory was essentially doused in petrol and set ablaze nearly putting the lad in a critical position (I will point out at this point that Dave didn’t actually try and put himself in hospital with the potentially very dangerous illness). Dave had just reaped the rewards of a close call and went from moonface Dave to ripped Dave!

Years have gone by when I think of this story! I think to myself…does it really wash. All the nonsense I’ve put in my body over the years seems to make it fairly resilient to tummy bugs or mild food poisoning so I can’t say I’ve ever known what happens…especially from a weight loss perspective…until now!!!

No shit (not literally obviously) last night I started with what you might describe as a mild tummy bug and may have been “ill” (we all know what this means but I don’t want to be gross!) through the night! Anyway…the net result of said tummy bug/mild poisoning was a…wait for it…4LB LOSS!!! 4lb in 24 hours!!! Insane! I know insanity was tough yesterday but that’s ridiculous!

So all my theory’s on #eatlikeaking are in fact not as solid a theory as my mate Daves age old theory of…”Get ill…look sick!”

Actually wouldn’t recommend this as feel a bit nuts today but thought I’d share none the less! 1 stone 4lb down! Bosh!

January…done! 1 stone down in under 4 weeks on my very own #eatlikeakingplan
Well…I’m not going to lie Jan was a bit of a wild one! I had a birthday weekend away in Southwold (which was incredible if you were wondering and the good folk at Adnams make awesome Gin…and beer obvs), a weekend at the nags (Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock), a weekend for no particular reason going on a local pub crawl and 6 media lunches…in a month I was trying to hold back (granted two of the lunches were in Chicken Shop…so don’t really count)!

  
Now do remember in the #eatlikeaking plan (my very own made up plan to shift that excess timber) I employ one of my golden rules…I can drink beer, and eat bread and pasta on stags (stag dos) and nags (trips to watch horses race). I’ve banned those three things ordinarily and I can honestly say it’s been fine. The birthday weekend and the nag weekend at Haydock I made special exception and tucked through more real ales/lagers and sandwiches than Andy Fordham would have done in a BDO warm up event! I did manage to pop on 2 pounds after each weekend but all in all in under 4 weeks I shifted slightly over a stone!

Now the question I hear you all asking is…is this sustainable? Abso blinking lutely! The plan has remained to have a protein heavy diet, making sure I have breakfast (think this bit is key!), lunch and dinner (or tea if your from Lancashire like me). I’ve snacked in between on anything ranging from biltong, fruit, raw veg, nuts, packets of chicken…generally high protein treats!

 

 
I’ve been in the gym 2 or three times a week doing Spin classes or Insanity workouts and getting my step count up where poss by not getting public transport everywhere, less taxis and generally been having a stroll and listening to a few tunes (re discovered my love for Stornoway, found out I liked a Justin Bieber song and even a couple of One Direction hits…slapped between the usual Ian Brown, Oasis, Chris Rea, Leonard Cohen and…Tina Arena!). So basically even when I’ve been super busy I’ve made some time to get myself to the gym or just do some walking.

 

 
I’ve been putting my food into MyFitnessPal and exercise (it manually pulls in your steps from Apple health!) and think this is where I’ve been most motivated. I’ve noticed that when I was #eattinglikeaking previously I might have gone slightly over board with double portions or trying to eat more than I would normally. I’ve been motivated to come under my calorie allowance every day and just played it like a game against myself. The fun bit is the weekends…granted I’ve not put everything in of a weekend as I’m too busy having a blinking mega time, but just for sh*ts and giggles I’ve smashed some of the beer and butties I’ve been having in. Rather depressing but makes sense that real ale has a couple of hundred cals per pint so my 15 pint session was approx 3000 cals! Oops! That might have been part of the problem to those weekends putting on a few pounds! Surprisingly Guinness only has 125 cals…but the old friend Gin and Slimline Tonic is a hero at about 60-80 cals! Also I had consumed a fair bit of prosecco on these weekends which seemed to be not too bad!

MyFitnessPal has been the thing that’s kept me focussed especially mid week and when out for lunch or dinner with clients or friends. It’s made me have an ever so slightly less carby, higher protein meal and keep my boozing to strictly gin (or just to try and avoid drinking…which is a lot easier in Jan than the rest of the year!). I’d highly recommend it just to give you a bit of focus…although I do have a friend who makes me chortle a lot when she tells me of the dominoes, chips and sherbet dib dabs she’s been putting into her myfitnesspal app whilst smashing out “Barry’s Bootcamps”…which sounds a bit too intense for me. Net result is that myfitnesspal pal doesn’t love chips, pizza and sherbet dib dabs…but the girls a hero none the less!

So one month down and now the hard work starts! Hello Feb you beautiful beast…roll on the Insanity class at lunchtime and where are my eggs for breakfast…I’m flipping starving!!!

Please share any stories or follow a more daily journey of my meals and stuff on Instagram.

So basically since the early days of woodwork, metal work and graphic design at school I haven’t really progressed my DIY skills! In fact if anything I’ve regressed…

 I thought I’d dedicate my first post on here to the new pride and joy of my kitchen…As you will start to learn I’m a keen cook/chef/throw it together and see what happens kind of person. It stems from my Grandma, Dads and Uncles love of cooking and rustling up tasty treats that put smiles on peoples faces. My mum’s a great baker and knocks up a chocolate cake that will blow your socks off, but I never got the “science” bit of baking and always felt more comfortable watching Ainsley freestyle with Percy Pepper and Jamie Oliver’s slack approach to measurement when rustling up a feast! It was days watching my Dad whip up a tasty steak, salad and chips…or later in life my Uncle who’s rule of anything goes started to let me explore different combos to create delightful dishes in the kitchen.