So another weekend approaches fast. Weekends are always tricky because the company gym is so far away. I do go running, but it is SO boring. And there is always some marathon freak that passes you like you were standing still.
Anyway, I am officially one belt notch thinner than I was two weeks ago and now that I can measure the progress, the motivation is coming back. For anyone starting on any sort of fitness regime I would say that the first 10 days are always going to be hard because there are few signs that all the sweat is making any difference. But trust me, it is.
A special thanks to the reader that emailed me to say that having read this blog, she was now actively considering running the London marathon next year. Her basic line of argument was that if chunky old me could trek across the Arctic, even she could run 26 miles. I am not sure if I should be flattered or offended. Maybe I am over doing it on the self-depreciation!
I will post an update on Monday, but wanted to leave you with this. Anyone offended by ripe language should keep well away, but everyone else, especially those that have had a run in with BT in the past should check it out!
And if anyone has suggestions on how to make a salad more interesting then leave your suggestions here. Ditto those with receipes for tasty salad dressing.
Have a great weekend guys.

This is a picture from last year's Baffin Island expedition. Good thing I am a skier not a boarder!

Weight: 107.2kg (16 stone 13 lb)
Weight lost in last week: 0.5kg (1.1lb)
Total Weight loss: 2.1kg (4.5lb)

So I thought it was about time I told you all about the charity that will be benefiting from this sponsored madness. The Mitchemp Trust is a children's charity that turns hoodies into respectable young people by taking them to the countryside.
Actually, that is my somewhat crass and simplistic interpretation of what it does.
According to its own website the Mitchemp Trust is a "youth development charity working with vulnerable children who are between the ages of 11 and 14 years".
It aims to "improve their confidence, self esteem and ability to take responsibility for themselves.We accomplish this by providing adventure camps, involving exciting outdoor activities that enable the children to succeed and achieve."
The Trust's motto is "If you think you can, you probably will. If you think you can't, you definitely won't"
Well I definitely think that I probably can do this trek. So there!
Anyway, I slightly fell off the wagon at the weekend and may have accidentily ordered pizza. Firezza does wicked and genuinely Italian pizza all across London. Think very thin, lots of fresh basil, tomato etc and not covered in three inches of cheese like the variety of pizza favoured by fatboy Americans. Speaking of Americans, wasn't the Ryder Cup just fantastic!!
I may have visited a well known American fast food chain that sounds like "NacDonalds" as well. Well, I didn't have any food in the fridge, what was I supposed to do?
I think I am allowed one (large) plateful of carbs and fat per week! The good news is the weight is still creeping down, albeit at a slower rate. I wonder what 4.5lb looks like? Four bags of sugar? Answers on a postcard please.
The training plan from the fitness instructor on the trip is only 10 weeks long, which means that I am already ahead of schedule.
The other good news is that we may have a sponsor lined up to fund the whole £90,000 cost of the expedition. Fingers crossed.
On a different note, it is very interesting to see who is reading this blog. I seem to have regular readers as far afield as California. So don't be shy, leave comments and any wisdom you may wish to share.

I have either been for a run or at the gym for the last three days, so today I am giving my aching limbs a day off.
Various muscle groups have been sending urgent messages to my brain.
One typical missive from my knees said: "Dear brain, I thought we had an agreement that we would not be required to do this sort of thing anymore. The ligaments down here are kicking up an awful fuss and somebody is going to snap!"
One correspondence from an unhappy right ankle tendon simply said: "I am not sure she can take much more Captain."
And I won't even go into the spam emails I am getting from my stomach.
The fitness instructor in the expediton group is promising to send us all a fitness plan. Words can not express the excitement about that!

Training Day 4:
Weight: 107.7kg (17 stone)
Total weight loss: 1.6kg (3.5lb)


So back to work at the Sunday Telegraph this morning after a fairly boozy weekend. I made sure I only drank champage last night (see previous post) and went for the healthy pudding option at this really nice little restaurant in Soho called Andrew Edmunds. Here is the link http://www.london-eating.co.uk/171.htm Its shabby and French and the food tastes great.
But I still can't quite bring myself to ask for slimline tonic with my gin. It just seems, well, wrong on so many levels.

So despite falling off the wagon somewhat over the weekend, I have lost 1.6kg in the last week. This can only be seen as an encouraging start. But I am not going to believe its more than a blip (shurely a blimp? Ed.) until the next weigh-in.

Herr Barbie downstairs in the gym is Very Enthusiastic and tells me I am doing A Good Job before going back to her protein shake and rivita. Usual combination of running, cycling and X-training machine in the gym today as per Barbie's instructions.

Friday night saw a meeting of the whole group going on this expedition. I was at work, and couldn't make it. But I gather that the expedition needs a name. Any suggests gratefully received. There will be a great prize for the winning entry (subject to secret conditions and eligibility).

Oh, and we also need a corporate sponsor!

Thought for the day: What is the point of mangos? They may taste like cake mix, but have you ever tried cutting one?

Training day 3:

So the first week of the "New Regime" is now over. I have successfully cut down on the booze and I have made it to the gym quite a lot.

But the initial enthusiam and excitement about getting fit for this madcap Arctic adventure has well and truely worn off. It has dawned on me that this is a going to be a long hard slog. I decided that I would go for a run in Brockwell Park this morning. Its about a mile from the flat. The plan was to run to the park, do a lap and run back. It didn't quite work out like that. I managed to run to the park, but I was so knackered that I had to then walk through the park and then stagger home for a lie down. I think its going to take a wee while before I start seeing a noticeable improvement in performance.

Anyway, I am also starting to have worrying dreams about this expedition (see photo). It is not helped by a friend who emailed me a story about a chap who climbed Everest. He had lost both legs below the knee in a car accident but had somehow decided that climbing the heightest mountain in the world was still a good idea. Unfortunately he got caught in bad weather and lost two fingers with frostbite. However, he said that having lost two legs, a couple of fingers wasn't going to make much difference. I am not sure if the car accident had damaged his mental faculties or if he was the bravest chap on the planet. Either way, horrific stories of limb loss in freezing mountain conditions are not helpful! So all gleeful emails containing similar tales from "friends" can now stop thankyou!

Further update tomorrow.

Technorati
This is a link for Technorati, please ignore.

Training Day 2
Weight: 109.2kg (17 stone, 3lbs)


A friend at Sandhurst is kind enough to get in touch with some helpful advise.
"Alcohol is a pivotal part of the military approach to fitness," she writes. "I think you should follow suit."
The friend in question has an Oliver Reed approach to alcohol and a body that would make Cameron Diaz weep hot tears of envy, so I am inclined to take her advice.
I discover from female friends (clearly girls give this sort of thing a great deal of thought), the least fattening booze is champagne and vodka & slimline tonics. Though not together, clearly. Well at least I don't think so.
I don't really like V&Ts so I have no choice but to drink fizz all the time. Suddenly this fitness malarky is not looking so bad.
On that note, I received my new training routine from the Aussie health fascist that lives in the company gym. Let us just say that it is challenging! It basicallly involves an hour of cardio work (treadmill, bike, X-country etc) about 4 times a week. I did tell Herr Kylie (actually I don't know her name and I really should by now) that I have to work for a living as well, but she said that the gym opens at 6:30am and I would have plenty of time to train before breakfast.
Marvelous.

Training Day 1
Weight: 109.2kg (17 stone 3 lbs)
There is something very satisfying about stepping on a treadmill for a good reason. People tend to do it because we are vain and don't want to be too rotund. But most of the time apathy and the imagined taste of lager give vanity a good mental kicking and most of us end up going to the pub with mates at lunchtime instead. Of is that just me?
Anyway, now I have a real motivation to go to the gym. And you know what? It is still a shitty experience and hurts like hell. But it did feel good to get the new regime underway. The Australian fitness instructor in the gym (why are they always Australian?!) is of course ever-so-enthusiastic about my jaunt across the Arctic ice. Well, that said, there was a moment after I told her when she looked like she was about to burst into laughter, but we will gloss over that.
She has agreed to design my a fitness programme and we are to go over the plan in the gym tomorrow morning at 8:30am. Well, may as well use up this enthusiasm before it wears off!
I have told her I want to lose two stone in weight and after a brief visual scrutiny, she agreed that it was a very realistic target. Bitch.
So today has gone as well as could be expected. Glowered at the waiter when he asked if I wanted chips to go with my steak at lunch and now feeling quite smug. Won't last I expect.