OK, it’s the end of the initial six weeks, so let’s recap on progress so far.

Saturday's weigh-in showed me at 15st 10, so weight loss has been 5 pounds. That’s only a small fraction of what I need to lose of course, but it’s a start – and better than I actually expected, given that I didn’t actually expect to start losing weight until around week 4. My gut girth has decreased too – from 48” / 121cm at the start, to 46.5” / 118cm now.  

Fitness is harder to measure, but I’m certain it has improved a bit. Cardio sessions have gone from ten minutes – which was plenty in the beginning – to twenty. Still only light cardio, of course, but that was always the plan in this first phase. My walk in to work (about a mile, mostly uphill) feels significantly easier.  I’m still highly unfit and there’s a lot more work to be done – but I’m no longer at rock bottom.

Strength appears largely unchanged so far – which was another important aim. So far it’s mostly being met. The one exception, as I mentioned the other week, may be the bench press – I think I’ve lost a little ground there – but I’m trying to compensate by going back to a progressive programme on that lift. Hopefully I can gain back what I’ve lost over the next few weeks – or at least avoid losing any more.  

The biggest achievement though has simply been to put the routine in place – to start controlling my diet and consistently doing cardio.  I know some people will say I could have pushed myself a lot harder during these six weeks, but that was never my plan. I’d never stick to anything too intense, especially at this early stage….I’d end up saying ‘bugger it’ and falling off the wagon. This routine may only be modest, but at least it’s something I have a better chance of sticking to, and working towards my long-term goals at a slow but consistent pace. The best routine is the one you’ll stick to doing, right? And I have stuck to it. I think I can give myself a small pat on the back for that.

So, in summary…only a beginning, but it’s been a fairly good beginning.