Weight Lifting - One Hundred Days - 099

WEIGHTLINE 099: 84Kg

This really is me! Before and after… The scales say one thing, but the photos are the real evidence. No, I did not hit my ambitious (and rather random) 20Kg weight loss target, but I'm satisfied and I'm not stopping.

Here it is! This is me! After 99 days of dietary change & good exercise, I've lost 12Kg and my body shape has changed. I've been taking pictures every Sunday since Jan 1st & it is quite fascinating - honestly! - for me anyway. I can track the plateaus & the losing weeks & the scales don't necessarily match up with the photos.

Apologies for subjecting you to these photos, especially since a hirsute body is not really fashionable today! And if you are under 30, avert your eyes - oldie on display! I understand some of you might be half way through your breakfast & not prepared… However, I have to tell you that I feel so much better. This is probably the most rewarding thing. I'm not dragging around excess weight (or not as much, anyway) and so can bounce around a bit. I'm assuming I'm a bit healthier, or will at least not cause my body an extra burden as it ages… Probably the only obvious symptom I had before I started this was elevated blood pressure. Now, my blood pressure has always been higher than desirable, but it was interesting how it did drop with no medication & no change other than diet (and a bit more exercise). If your doctor suggests you go on blood pressure medication, I strongly suggest you look at your diet! Two weeks before I started, I recorded my blood pressure, 20 readings over 7 days & they averaged out at 126/93. Nearly three months later, I repeated the exercise & they averaged out at 116/86. Still higher than ideal, but nevertheless reduced.

I also swear that my cardiovascular fitness improved just by shedding a bit of weight. It became easier to breathe & I could certainly move more easily & for longer. I knew that I stored body fat in my torso and my belly was going to lessen and my cup size reduce, but I wasn't quite prepared for how much my neck & head shape changed. I am left in absolutely no doubt that I cannot hide any weight gain, even with clothes on, because it is so obvious from the neck upwards. Essentially I now know I store fat practically everywhere, except on my legs (modesty forbids me from showing you a full length photo, so you'll have to take my word for that) so I've gone from a barrel shape to something with a few slight contours! The biggest surprise of all for me was my arms. I am actually wearing my watch in the Day 099 photo, but my wrists have slimmed down so the watch rides even further down - a couple of links are going to have to come out…

I'm going to continue photographing myself, not every week now - probably every month - as I find it a fascinating picture of my lifestyle. Maybe in 10 years time I'll publish a visual bodyline! I highly recommend it as a way of keeping track of your health (but don't necessarily publish the photos), much more satisfying than the scales!