Weighty Issue

I had to tighten my belt yesterday; a belt I've had for decades. I now have only one belt hole left before I'll have to invest in a new one.

The buckle tracks show just how much weight I've lost since going on the 5:2 diet and working out - 5 whole inches. I'm currently wearing 32" waist trousers, but even they are starting to fall off me, hence the need to tighten my belt yesterday. Conversely, my T shirts are straining under the extra bulk I've put on around my shoulders, chest and arms through exercising with weights. 

I've found a new exercise regime which seems to work better than my standard workout; I was doing 40 reps with the two 10 kg weights in 3 areas, five times a day - front arm curls, side arm curls and overhead pushes. Apparently it's only the last few reps, when the burn comes in, that do any good in terms of muscle bulk. The new regime capitalises on that by resting for 20 seconds after the 40 reps and then doing 20 reps, resting for another 20 seconds and then doing a final 20 reps. You really feel the effect throughout the day and it cuts the whole regime down to a single event, which is much less time consuming than doing the 40 reps 5 times throughout the day with long rest intervals. Apparently the reps done once the burn sets in are nearly twice as effective and those done without the burn.

Might invest in larger weights, as the 40 initial reps are quite easy to accomplish now. I feel a lot better too, having lost 10 kg since January; however, the irony is that if I hadn't been working out I would probably have lost more weight, as most of the fat loss has been converted into muscle bulk and muscle is heavier than fat.