Sunday 8 January 2012

The 12 Stone Challenge - COMPLETE...

Well, here it is. The end of the 12 stone challenge! A few weeks ago I set myself the challenge of slowly getting my weight down to 12 stone from close to 13 stone. I was eating a little too much, so my exercise routines were building muuscle under the layers of fat I had. The challenge - to lose FAT (not weight) and get my total weight down to 12 stone

My exercise sessions have stayed relatively the same as I was doing before. However, this time I calculated my calorific needs with the aim of losing 1-2 lbs a week - this would ensure that most of the weight loss would be fat tissue. I have lost a little strength (not too much though) which does suggest I have lost a little muscle tissue - but it's inevitable that I would lose a little by restricting calories. My nutrition followed a 40-50/30/20-30% carbohydrates/protein/fat ratio and I tried to maintain eating 5 or 6 meals a day. Although I did not keep this up for the entire duration (Christmas and a new kitchen being built), I certainly saw the benefits which came from it.

My aim from the start of this challenge was to lean my body out as much as I could. Like many people I want those abs! As you can see they still aren't visible - so more fat needs to go. Why have I not yet achieved this fat loss? - Well certainly I could get more strict with the nutrition, and add a bit more cardio to my sessions. Additionally - and this is a big one - my diabetes control has been erratic the last few months. Uncontrolled diabetes is going to have a huge effect on burning carbohydrates (especially as my workouts are very carb dominant), and I believe I am therefore causing my body to become catabolic- my muscle tissue is being used for energy. So now I will start the new challenge - to continue my journey to those abs...

Coming soon - the new challenge and the goals I must reach...


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