Kill Fatman

Made it to day 50! Can’t believe it somehow. I seriously thought I would give up long before here. Hopefully there’ll be some changes soon as I’m still just as fat (or at least feel it) as I was.

I cycled to work as usual. It’s getting easier although summer’s here now so I sweat like a pig. I did an hour of weights in the afternoon and skipped before and after. I’m up to 200 reps now and I can almost do a hundred before I whip myself.

On the personal side I’m exhausted and I’ve gone strangely numb inside. I had to yell at a couple of kids at school and for some reason I just didn’t care. There was no anger afterwards, no stress, just numbness. It’s been growing all day. Started off when they finalized our pay cuts and I calculated how much I’m going to lose and went from there. Can’t stand the place anymore. Need to get out.

Managed weights yesterday and running today. I’m exercising almost every day now and I’m starting to feel fitter. I’m cycling to and from work as well and even though I’m not getting much faster it seems to be getting easier. (Apart from today when the wind was so strong I had to literally stand up and peddle to move.) I’m going to see if I can run a minute mile on Saturday. Wonder if I can.
For some reason I’m feeling chronically tired all the time though. I’m not sure if it’s the exercise or the depressing job and continuing paycuts I’m getting. There’s something quite tiring about constantly thinking and worrying about money. It’d be nice to not have to think about it. No reason why that should start now though. I’ve worried about money pretty much every day since I left home 15 years ago. Maybe that’s it. ’s all in the ol’ noggin. Nevermind. I’ll be thin and poor! Ha. You go fatman!

Are constant aches and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion signs that I am getting fitter? I hope so. I cycled to school and back and it seemed harder than usual. I couldn’t run at school because my legs were too sore so I jacked the running machine up to 10% and walked for 30 mins at 5kmh. I sweated as much as if I’d actually run and now my calves have stiffened up. At this rate the only muscle left in my body that doesn’t hurt will be a tiny one in my ear. Weights tomorrow. If I don’t see some signs of a change soon I’m really going to start to lose my will to continue.

No! I can do it! Fight the good fight!

Thanks to yesterday’s running my legs have stiffened up. Add to that an hour in the gym today and now I can’t use my upper body either. I end up lying on the floor like a giant blancmange, quivering with muscle spasms. I did the 30 reps, halve the weight and repeat thing again and I think I broke something. ‘S all good though. Followed it up with some of my weight down protein. This’ll be a good chance to see if that was what made me sick last week. If I’m in the toilet more than I’m out tomorrow then we know the answer.
Didn’t manage to cycle in as I knew I’d be really late (it’s test week and I still hadn’t made mine) but I will tomorrow. Petrol has just jumped to 170 yen a liter ( $1.70) and it’s going to jump again soon. I spend about $4 a day driving to and from school so not only will it be good for my waistline but my wallet.
I still don’t think I’ve lost much weight but I seem to be fitter. I can lift more, run further and skip longer. Hope that the pounds will start dropping off soon.

I came down with something during the week and didn’t do any running or weights Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. I tried that protein Tuesday night so I wonder if that was the cause. If it is then I think the weight down part of the brand name will live up to itself. If I get sick every time I drink it I’ll be thin in no time.

Anyway, I was going to run today but then the rain started up and I talked myself out of it. Then I thought, “No! That’s what Fatman would say!” and I forced myself to do it. I ran about 10km along the river and I felt pretty good when I got back. Numb with cold and aching but still good. I’ve blistered my feet again as well, but still good. And now it’s off to bed and weights tomorrow. Then protein. Then sick.

Managed to run 5km. It was difficult to get the energy. I spent a lot of time and mental energy thinking about my job. The more they cut my salary and the more they increase my workload the more I think about the end. Unfortunately I’m contracted until March and I wouldn’t walk out. Couldn’t do it. It’s depressing though. The whole place is going to the dogs. Still, I made myself run and felt a little better for it. I’m starting to see a few changes. I’ve manged to go down a hole on my belt which must be a good sign. Still, it’ll be a while yet.
I tried the protein and it tastes pretty good. I’ll let you know if it does the job. I also bought a lottery ticket for a draw this Thursday. Nothing like reckless hope to kill off the desperation.

I went to Costco over the weekend and had a little too much of their delicious pizza. Bought myself a crate of Corona as well (Summer is coming after all) although I’ve only had a couple so far. I also got myself a bag of Weider weight down protein. Not sure how it does what it says it does because the whole bags written in Japanese and I can’t find the same one on their company website but I’ll try it tomorrow and let you know.

I was going to start today but it slipped with my mind what with finding out about my new pay cuts. Turns out my yearly salary will be cut by about $10,000 altogether. I know it could be worse. At least I’m not homeless, but it’s still been a pretty big shock. Luckily this is my last year. Maybe people wil start buying my Fatman stuff. Here’s hoping.
Anyway, I got my weights in. I was doing many more reps on a lower weight and I can really feel it now. Muscles I never knew I had ache. Maybe something’s starting to work. The skipping before was easier as well. I could do 150 reps before and after whereas I’d struggled to get 100 before. I’m trying to work on my form but I still keep whipping myself and smashing my knuckles. About rep number 60 the rubber chord caught my foot and the narrow end flipped up and kissed the underside of my left buttock. I’ve got a nice red mark there now. Still; no pain no gain. Actually, that’s not true. It should be; no pain, no pain.
I couldn’t cycle to school today owing to a tropical storm that seemed to have come in over night. Hopefully the weather’ll be nicer tomorrow.

It’s day 36. I haven’t posted for a while. That’s not to say that I haven’t been exercising though. I have. I’ve been quite a good boy.
My lack of posts began a Friday ago. At school we have something called a long walk once a year. The Junior High kids walk 20km to the next town and the high school kids walk 25 to a lake. I went with the high school and decided to do it as fast as I can. I put on quite a pace, passing students left right and center, then i ran the last 5km downhill on tarmac. I came in 3rd. A couple of the kids in the tennis club beat me. But there’s no shame in being beaten by 16 year old girls. Is there?
The walk was fun. There were a couple of minutes of euphoria. Then I could barely walk for the rest of the weekend. Blisters the size of my feet. Compressed spine. Aching legs. I couldn’t force myself to do anything on Monday. It was supposed to be weights but my back hurt too much. Tuesday I ran 4km but my legs developed this sharp knife like pain that I believe may be my ciatic (siatic? syatic?) nerve. Wednesday I did my weights. I’ve decided to go for more reps faster from now on. And I’ve changed my routine to Mon, Wed, Fri weights and Tues, Thurs, Sun running. Thursday I ran again and the pain was still in my legs. It seems to have gone since then so maybe I’m ok. Friday I did my weights and I’m feeling pretty good now. I’m also cycling my crappy no suspension bicycle to school and back each day. So I’m getting a fair amount of exercise. Unfortunately there still seems to be no change in my waistline but I’m hoping that it’ll start at about day 50. I may buy some weight down protein today and see if that helps.

I haven’t managed to write for a couple of days. A combination of being strangely tired and forgetting. The exercise has continued though. Friday was a close call. I was supposed to go jogging but I couldn’t seem to get up the energy. I was looking for the usual excuses and I turned to my friend’s to furnish me with more reasons not to go. One of them looked at me and said, “So don’t run. Stay here. Fatman.” And that was enough. I hit the gym. I only ran four km to start with. (Well, walked one and ran three) I figure that I’ll build it up by 500m every week until I get to about 8km. We’ll see how it goes.

Didn’t do much over the weekend but did weights today. I’m getting a little better each time I go although I keep whipping myself with the skipping rope. I’m not sure if getting thin is worth that kind of pain.

I was hoping by now I’d be able to see a little change but it must be too soon. My boxers do feel a touch looser on my thighs but my legs always were pretty quick to change back to muscle. I guess the exercise they get carrying my 100kgs around is enough for them.
Cycled to and from school as usual. I’m getting faster (although I’m not allowed to go too fast because that way danger lies) 37 minutes in and 50 home. There was no head wind on the way back and I was starving so I made record time. I was interested to notice that some kind people have decided to repave part of the pavement I have to use on my way home. They have done it in a beautiful fashion. They’ve taken a clean section of sidewalk and put rough, jagged ridges and holes and lumps and bumps and pretty much anything else they could think of to make a cyclist uncomfortable. I’m not sure where they learn their trade but I’m sure I could do a better job with a child’s tool set.

Anyway, I digress. I managed to do 50 minutes of weights after school. A friend has persuaded me to do a warm up set before I begin which is probably a good idea. I was going straight in and doing the heaviest weights I could with no warm up and that was leading to some pain. I’m lifting more than I was before and when I skip to begin with my man boobs seem as though they’re bouncing ever so slightly less.