Tuesday 25 September 2007

The Dieting Man: Monday 24 September 2007: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet

Alrighty There People!

Well, today was disastrous.

Firstly, I ran out of Special K. So it was Weetabix for breakfast, toast for lunch. But I nipped across to Sainsbury's and got some more Special K.

Then, because I was ABSOLUTELY WRECKED I didn't go on the Wii.

Tomorrow, I want a really early night, so not sure if I'll fit the Wii in - because on Wednesday I'm going to Alton Towers!

Cue lots of photos and video's being uploaded!

So I apologise in advance for not doing my fitness much this week!

If you're still reading this, or have just stumbled across it, just give me a shout below, let me know what you think of it all.

Cheers!

Until.... later!

Adios,

The Dieting Man

Monday 24 September 2007

The Dieting Man: The Weekend: Wii Boxing

Alrighty There People!

I know I don't usually put my weekend habits up, but I thought I would just give you an insight into my Nintendo Wii activities over the weekend:

Saturday:

Wii Fitness: Age: 30
The Bags - Round 1: 28
The Bags - Round 2: 32
The Bags - Round 3: 25

The Fights:

Fight One:
Starting Points: 1082
Opponnent: Tyrone
Opponnent's Points: 1142
Fight Outcome: Win
Points: 57 gained

Fight Two:
Starting Points: 1139
Opponent: Rachel
Opponent's Points: 1253
Fight Outcome: Win
Points: 9 gained

End of activity points status: 1148

Sunday:

Wii Fitness: Age: 45
The Bags - Round 1: 38
The Bags - Round 2: 17
The Bags - Round 3: 29

The Fights:

Fight One:
Starting Points: 1148
Opponnent: Theo
Opponnent's Points: 1222
Fight Outcome: Lose
Points: 7 lost

Fight Two:
Starting Points: 1141
Opponent: Rachel
Opponent's Points: 1197
Fight Outcome: Lose
Points: 7 lost

End of activity points status: 1134

I can't believe that I lost both fights on Sunday! Maybe I need more training. Maybe it's because I'd been playing on the Wii for about an hour beforehand. Maybe it's because I'd had some wine. Maybe it's because I played rubbish.

I need to work on this.

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

The Dieting Man: Friday 21 September: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet

Alrighty There People!

Still going strong with this, although at times I find it a bit bland just eating Special K. Mind you, I've started adding banana chips to it - makes a lot of difference, very nice indeed.

I think I'm losing it a bit with the boxing though - I've reached a point where I can't seem to progress - in fact, whether I win or lose I seem to lose a few points - not many, but points are slowly chipping away... which is always a bad thing.

Anyway, on to today's Nintendo Wii Boxing:

The Bags:
Round 1: 28 bags
Round 2: 25 bags
Round 3: 30 bags

That wasn't a bad effort really, 25 is a bit low, but 28 and 30 is good - that is the kind of score I want to be getting every round. With my confidence boosted a tad, it was time to enter the ring...

Fight 1:
So here I am, in my corner, wielding 1127 points, when who should enter the ring - Rachel! Now, I know that this is only a game, but I still felt a slight twinge of guilt to be in the ring with a female opponent. But, she had 1211 points, she was there ready and willing, so I decided to go in fists flying. It wasn't a great match - I did win, but I lost 6 points. That made me angry. That meant that I was on 1121 to enter Fight 2...

Fight 2:
Rachel again! Okay, well, this time I had no qualms - a fight is a fight, and I was going to win. I went in, arms flailing, sweat pouring, heart pumping. I was defeated. It was awful. To see my Mii lying motionless on the floor, as the numbers ascended, was heartbreaking. To see the letters KO illuminate the screen, as my Mii lay in a deathlike state on the ring, was emotionally wrenching. To see Rachel steal 42 points from my score was the icing on the cake, the feather that broke the camel's back, the point where grief turned to rage. I would be back in the ring. I would fight again. I would smash any opponent I would meet.

And, I would lose weight.

Until Monday,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

Thursday 20 September 2007

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: 18th September 2007

Alrighty There People!

Well, after the shambles that dominated last night's Wii activity, I'm determined to do better today...

After a long and busy day (in which, yes, of course, I ate two bowls of Special K and not a great deal else), it was time to don the gloves (actually, pick up the Wii Mote and Nunchuk...) and enter the ring.

The Bags:
Round 1: 38
Round 2: 22
Round 3: 21

After an astonishingly flukey first round, I settled into a comfortable rhythm of doing really badly. I think I should be aiming for about 27+ for each round. Oh and I had done my Wii Fitness - and scored the ugly age of 45. Not good.

Grimly, I started the fights...

Fight One:
Saburo? Who on earth is Saburo? I thought I was entering the ring with a rally car.. With 1279 points against my 1198, the odds were again stacked up against me. I entered the ring, fists flying faster than than Bruce Lee's. He was an easy opponent, unworthy of 1279 points, and unworthy of my time and enemy. But for crying out loud why did the Powers that Wii take away seven points from me? I won the fight!

Angrily, I engaged Fight Two...

Fight Two:
Theo. Great, from bad to worse. I was against Theo and his 1285 points. I couldn't understand why, although I had LOST points, I was fighting an apparently stronger opponent. Who knows. Another reckless bout of desperately flailing arms, and I won again! But again, for some reason best left to microprocessors, I lost seven points.

So I ended the evening sweaty, having done rubbish at the bags, winning two fights but losing 14 points, and ending up with 1184.

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

Tuesday 18 September 2007

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: 17th September 2007

Alrighty There People!

Oh. My. Word.


I can't believe it!

Let me start at the beginning. I was wrecked this morning, having had only 5 hours sleep. When I got into the kitchen, I realised that there was no milk. So no Special K for me today - not unless I wanted it dry. Or with water. Neither option appealed, so it was a slice of toast. With Nutella. Groan...

I got to work and was met with a banging headache. So I decided to work straight through lunch, and finish early. I was home at 3.15, with the intention of going straight to bed. Unfortunately, the cupboards were bare, so it was ASDA that I ended up going to. But I was in bed for 5.30. Having a wonderful, long awaited 90 minute snooze, it was up for dinner - a decent meal of bangers and mash, peas and sweet corn. Nice. Very nice.

I gave it a few hours, and decided that it was time to battle. I turned the Wii on, and started with the exercise program. My previous Age score glared at me. 62. Yeah, right. I battled through a series of Home Runs, Punch the Bag, and Golfing Accuracy skill sets, and hammered my age down to 25. Better. Considering I'm 26 :)

Then I tried my hand at the bags. Here's what happened:
The Bags - Round 1: 25 Bags
The Bags - Round 2: 18 Bags
The Bags - Round 3: 25 Bags

What on earth happened? I couldn't work it out. Somehow, I had lost my groove. 18 bags? That was criminal. I gave myself a severe talking to before entering the ring. I had to win!

Fight 1:
I entered the ring with 1149 points backing me up - but whimpered almost audibly when I faced Theo, a skinhead with 1227 points. Gulp. He was fast, ducking and diving my blows. But I was also ducking and diving his, and getting some fantastic punches in. He gave up the fight in round 2, giving me a glorious 29 points. I had a feeling, though, that I would be meeting up with Theo again in Fight 2...

Fight 2:
Theo. Staring me out from the far side. Bring it on. I raced towards him, face shielded, left arm packing powerful punches to his face and ribcage. Down. Like a sack of potatoes. Mouldy, squishy potatoes. He got up again. Silly. He knocked me down. Really silly. I ploughed into him like an express train hitting a cow at 140 mph. He didn't stand a chance. Down he went - permanently. His 1252 points were no match against The Dieting Man. He succumbed, passing 20 points onto me, which I quietly added to the 1178 around my belt already. with 1198 points, I look forward to meeting tomorrow's opponent. I wonder if it will be Theo...

The Nintendo Wii is great. Wii Boxing is not just hilarious to watch, it's great to participate in. By the end of my three bag rounds and two fights, I was sweating like a pig - it was literally running down my face. Plunging into the shower, I refreshed myself.

This dieting malarkey - it's getting more and more fun. If I can control my eating, do more exercise - including using the Nintendo Wii - I'll be slim in no time at all. Rock on!

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: The Weekend Away

Alrighty There People!

Well, I was away for the weekend. In Scotland. Drove up on Friday, left mid morning. We had a 93 year old passenger in the car, so had to take it carefully. Up the A1, past Newcastle Airport, through Ponteland (I think that sounds so funny - pronounced pon-tee-land), and on and on until we hit the border crossing of England/Scotland. We didn't stop, because we had stopped there last year.
Soon after the border crossing, we took a fantastically windy, hilly road to Hawick (pronounced Hoick). We stopped in a brand new cafe called Beanscene, which had an unnerving glass floor which overlooked an old mill wheel. Interesting.

From there, we continued on to our destination, the McDonald Cardrona hotel. It was great. We bedded down, and got ready for the next day...

On Saturday, after a fabulous breakfast, we headed off to visit relatives... *yawn*... then we went to Loch Mary, or Mary's Loch, then on to the Grey Mare's Tail, a fantastic waterfall near Moffatt, then on to Moffatt for dinner (lasagne... mmm).

Then back to the hotel for a well earned sleep. But before bed I found out about Colin McRae... A terrible tragedy, and condolences to his wife, daughter, and the family of the other two deceased.

The following morning, Sunday, we were up and enjoyed another sumptuous breakfast (I think my waistline expanded rapidly over this weekend), and then on to Abbotsford House - the home of Walter Scott. Not fantastic, but the weather was atrocious. I suppose if you managed to work your way around the gardens too, the £6.00 entry fee is worth it. Be warned though - it's not exactly wheelchair friendly.

From there, we headed home - wrecked but happy. I didn't get to bed until 2am, as I had lots to catch up on, and unfortunately Wii Boxing was not one of them... So tomorrow I'll have to fight with vigour...

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: 13th September 2007

Alrighty There People!

The Diet and Exercise regime continues, with, I feel, renewed vigour. I wish so much that I had gotten a Wii earlier, and that I had started to use it to it's full potential sooner.

In the bedroom, we've got built in mirrored wardrobes. I keep looking at myself in the mirror - it's not a fantastic sight, but I've gotta tell you - it's improving!

If you want to get fit, I would definitely recommend getting a Nintendo Wii. It's fun, it's healthy, and it'll save you a fortune in gym membership fees.

So let's get onto last night's results:

Wii Boxing - The Bags:
Round 1 - 27 Bags
Round 2 - 30 Bags
Round 3 - 32 Bags

I thought that was fantastic! Rather than getting worse, I was getting better. I can get into a fantastic rhythm when doing the bags - the brown ones just go in two punches. You know, it's also quite stress relieving too...

On to the fights:

Fight One:
Fight one began with The Dieting Man on 1094, taking on Pierre and all of his 1164 points. Come on! The fight began, and it was a ferocious one. I find the opponents much tougher since going Pro - I get them down, then they get me down, then I get them down, then it's round two. But it makes for a lot of flailing of the arms, a lot of sweat, and a lot of exercise. So it's all a good thing. Anyway, I finally got the better of Pierre, but it did cost me 6 points. I walked out of the ring battered, bruised, and lacking 6 points - but ultimately victorious! Yes! I looked forward to meeting my new opponent in Fight Two...

Fight Two:
I was gutted to see Pierre still in the opposite corner. This was going to be the third time in a row that I was facing him. He obviously hadn't learnt his lesson. He was going to hit the deck, he was going to stay there, and he was not going to come back for more...

The fight began - Pierre on 1194 points, The Dieting Man on 1088. The odds were against me. But I pummelled him - the victory was so great, so decisive that the Wii awarded me 61 points - shooting me up to 1149 points, further away from that fine line between Pro and ... not Pro. Fantastic!

Anyway, I'm away for the weekend, but I'll be back on Monday.

Have a good one!

Until Monday,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

Thursday 13 September 2007

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: 12th September 2007

Alrighty There People!

I continue munching through my Special K twice daily. I find it really filling - a bowl first thing keeps me going right through until lunchtime, and my lunchtime bowl keeps my going right through until I finish work. Maybe that means that I should be eating smaller bowls though... Never mind!
I'm still endeavouring to drink lots of water too, averaging six during the working day, and I usually have a pint... of water... on an evening too.

Last night I was out in the garden for a good hour, wrestling with the trees that are trying to dominate our minimal space of greenery. That worked up a good sweat, not least because I was wielding a hefty hedge trimmer that had the capacity to decapitate me.

And then I worked myself up for the big events: Nintendo Wii Boxing.

I was determined not to lose my Pro status - that was a title that I was literally fighting to defend.
So, to work myself up to the fights, I began, as usual, with Bag Training, which went as follows:

The Bags - Round 1: 26 bags
The Bags - Round 2: 27 bags
The Bags - Round 3: 29 bags

I don't know what happened tonight, some of the bags I just couldn't seem to annihilate. The problem is when the bags are slightly off centre, I find it really hard to hit them - maybe I need to lean a little? I guess I'll work it out.

Anyway, on to the main events:

Fight 1:
I swaggered into the ring a champion looking for a weasel to eat up and spit out. I was faced with Tyrone, a Pro with 1193 points against my 1053. We fought. It was great. I got him down. He got me down. I floored him again. Round 1. Round 2 came. I defeated him, gaining 46 points, launching me to 1099. Nothing can take my Pro status now!

Fight 2:
Pierre joined me in the ring, a rough looking fellow with scars on his face, and a really scary mole. On his face, that is. He was there to pitch his 1149 points against mine. Peirre, bring it on. Again, we fought. I got downed, he got downed, but I claimed the victory. Alas, I lost 5 points, dropping me to 1094, and allowing me time to nurse my wounds until tomorrow's fight...

I must say, I love Wii Boxing. I think I enjoy documenting the fights just as much!

I may even begin videoing them, and uploading them to Metacafe or something. Cool!

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

The Dieting Man: Wii Boxing and The Special K Diet: 11th September 2007

Alrighty There People!

Well, the diet seems to be going well, at long last. I've decided to stop cataloguing what I eat, as I find it quite a pointless feat, unless you disagree. I think that the important thing is to be careful with what I eat and to do plenty of exercise every day.

I'm loving incorporating the Nintendo Wii into my diet, and I wish that I had done this earlier. Although I use the Wii Sports Fitness, I don't think that it is ideal, because some of the activities don't even break a sweat. However, sticking my my Wii Sports Boxing Tracker is great for me, I carefully document my daily activity and it's a really intensive workout.

So here is what happened today on Wii Boxing:
The Bags - Round 1: 39 bags (New Record!)
The Bags - Round 2: 30 bags
The Bags - Round 3: 35 bags

I doubt very much that I'll be able to beat 39 bags!

On, then, to Fight 1:
I entered the fight with 997 points, Pro status just out of my grasp. I was facing Ren, an opponent with 1071 points - a Pro. We fought. It was vicious. I lost. And then 13 points were subtracted from me. My hopes of re-attaining Pro status were fast diminishing. I was down to 984 points.

Mortified, I entered Fight 2:
My opponent, the same as yesterday, was Michael, a Pro with 1060 points. With trepidation, I pushed Button A, certain only of a profound whopping. To my absolute delight, I downed him with ease. He didn't get back up. An easy victory - an easy 69 points - and - ROCK ON! - an easy transition back to Pro Status!

This keep fit malarkey is fun. Not only am I going to lose Weight, I'm going to conquer the world of Wii Boxing!

Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man

Wednesday 12 September 2007

The Top 5 Signs Someone Is Driving A Company Car

We've all seen them. BMW. Mercedes. Audi. Volkswagen. Ford. Vauxhall. Renault. Nissan. Whatever marque there is, someone, somewhere, right now, out there, is driving a company car.

You know, you've gotta love the irony of it. They're the ones that are brining in £50k+ per year. They're rolling in it. And what does the boss say to them? "Hey, why don't I buy you a car? I'll tax it, insure - I'll even fuel it for you."

Wait a minute. So us who work at the bottom of the corporate ladder - the ones that are scrimping and scrounging, counting the pennies - not only do we have to BUY our own car - but we have to tax it, insure it, and fuel it too - whereas the top dogs, earning the big bucks, get their's paid for! Cheesh!

And then there's the way they drive their cars. You see, we know that our car costs money to run. We bump it, we pay for it. We scratch it, we've got to get it sorted. Them? Nah. Tell the boss the car needs a service, get it done.

Well here's the top five signs somebody is driving a company car:

1. Road Humps
I don't know about where you live, but 'traffic calming measures' seem to be getting more and more extreme. Personally, I like the chicanes. You're forced to slow down for them, reducing your speed. However, the council seems to prefer abnormally angled road humps. Maybe they're in league with the local car mechanics... You can either slow to a stop, then crawl over them (increasing wear and tear on brakes, clutch and gearbox), or you can take them at full speed and fracture your suspension. Well guess what company car drivers do? Well, who is gonna pay for that suspension? Certainly not them. So they cruise along, quite happily sticking to the speed limit, quite happily blasting over the speed humps, quite happily destroying their company car's suspension.

2. It's Dirty
Now, we may take pride in our vehicle. It's cost a massive chunk of our own personal cash, and we intend to make it look good. Not so with company car drivers. No, why should they waste time and money on something that they're not even paying for? The car will get cleaned when it rains. Or the garage will clean it when it's due for a service. Washing the car? That's for those low lifes that buy their own car!


3. They Fill The Tank
So you're waiting patiently at the petrol station behind the BMW X5. The bloke at the pump isn't even watching the guage - he's casually looking around to see how many people are watching him. After an inordinate amount of time, the guage clicks - the tank is full. The guy saunters over to the cash desk, pays up, and leaves. You drive to the pump that he was at, and your eye register disbelief. £78.25. That's the bill that he just paid to fill his beast. Well, that's not technically true. Let me restate that last line. That's the bill that HIS BOSS HAS just paid to fill his beast. As you start to fill your car, you carefully watch the guage, and stop it when it hits £20. That's all you can afford until payday...

4. They Drive Like Maniacs
It's not their car. Who cares if they bump it? Roundabouts, junctions, traffic lights - they don't care. If it results in a bump, it'll go to the garage. They'll get a courtesy car. Then their one will come back nice and shiney and new. Oh, that's right - it's been washed and waxed. And it's probably got a full tank too...

5. It's Brand New
So here I am driving my 2004 Fiesta. I've just got it. I didn't break the bank to get it, but I must admit I would have like to be driven something newer, better, faster, sportier. And just yesterday someone behind me was in a brand spanking new Audi S3. Black paintwork gleaming under the midday sun. Probably just driven off of the forecourt. With only 2.0 miles on the clock. Probably didn't pay a penny for it.

So remember, next time you see a brand new, but slightly dirty, and maybe even slightly damaged car getting it's tank filled at the petrol station, don't envy the guy or gal at the pump. It's not even their car.

Tuesday 11 September 2007

The Dieting Man - Wii Boxing and Losing Weight

Alrighty There People!

I've got it. And this time, I'm gonna crack it. Okay, okay, I'll go back to the beginning - right back to January 2007.

I'd gotten sick of family saying how fat I was, how much weight I'd put on, asking my wife what she was feeding me - you get the drift.

So I went on a diet. Thing is, I didn't go on a proper diet. I was watching what I was eating, certainly, but not really doing anything about it. So I was watching myself eat chocolate, McDonalds, pizza, chips, etc etc etc. And guess what? I hadn't lost any weight.

But for the past three weeks, I've been on the Special K diet. That's a bowl of Special K for breakfast, a bowl for lunch, and a normal evening meal. I've been eating more fruit, cutting down on chocolate - and - I think most importantly - doing more exercise.

Now, my exercise has ranged from walking, cycling... and playing on the Wii. I know, I know, people have lost weight on the Wii before, and if you're not bothered, fine. But if you are, you may be inclined to know how I've done this - how I can now tighten my belt to the last hole, whereas before it was on the second hole.

Just using Wii Sports, I think that the most energetic ones to play are (in energetic order) Boxing, Tennis and Baseball. Personally, I think that Golf and Bowling are not really exertive sports, not on the Wii anyway.

So everynight for the past week, I've been doing the Wii fitness. When I first did it, the Wii gave me the fitness age of 80. I managed to get that down to 27, but it's gone back up to 34 as of last night. But to be honest, I wasn't that impressed with it - sometimes it made me do bowling and golf, which I didn't really want to do.

So I've set up my own regime, which I started last night, and I think it's great.

Basically, it entails starting with Boxing Training. So go to that, and do the bag training. Do three rounds. My best score on that is 37 - I believe you get a minute. After that, go onto normal boxing, and have two fights. Now, if you're really good, you may get it over with in the first round. But, if like me, you're not that good, both fights may be the full three rounds.

I started last night with a score of 1009 - giving me 'Pro' status. I won both my fights, but surprisingly lost 6 points in each - meaning that I've lost my Pro status. However, tonight I intend to win it back.

But here is the pièce de résistance: My tracker. On here I will keep a record of how many bags I knock down in each of the three rounds of Wii Boxing training. Then, I will keep track of my Boxing points, my opponent, their points, and my final points. I'll do that for a month and post the results here.

And, just because I can and I want to, I've uploaded the tracker here - so if you want to join in and compare, get the tracker (below - click here for the full tracker), and post your results here.


Until tomorrow,

Adios!

The Dieting Man!

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