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This getting healthy malarky can be seriously damaging to your health! Haha!

Tonight was day #23 of my wee 'Mile a day' challenge. The past few nights I've been knocking out 5k walks, but by the time I got home last evening, my left leg was more knackered than usual. This morning, it seemed to be tight but okay, however over the day it got sore again. It didn't help matters that I've felt a bit bleurgh today! Bit bokey, bit dizzy, but in good spirits. Still, I decided to head out tonight anyways... Such is the needs of my challenge. I think it helped a bit. Leg feels looser than before, but still very tired!

Part of the reason for these walks is to spend time thinking, but of late all I can think about is running. I really want to be able to run!!! I know it will happen, once I've lost enough weight, I'll be more comfortable and able to run. And I understand why my Twitter Mentors are forbidding it, but, boysadear... I dream of it!!!

Until then, I'll enjoy the 'feelings' that accompany pushing myself in the walking category... And one day, I'll hopefully be smiling as I run past someone who is where I am now!!!

Too many things are addictive these days. Drugs, alcohol, exercise... Yup, that's right, I said exercise. Me. Paul McLean. I said exercise!

I know... I don't believe it either!!!

September last year I started a whole weightloss/life change thingy. And now, I've started an exercise regime. It kinda began back in December, but that kinda petered out in late January after I hurt my ankle, but I wanted to get back in to it. And so I knew I needed a challenge...

I decided that Lent would be a new beginning for me. As well as giving something up, I decided to also do something. Walking a mile a day (at least) was the challenge I took on. After a few days, I turned it in to a sponsorship thing (you can read about that here: http://www.justgiving.com/eightlab) and although I've had a few comments made about it not exactly being a challenge that deserves sponsoring as I want to get fit, it hasn't taken long to remind people that I'm probably three times their weight and that walking for lengthy period of time IS a challenge to me, and that they can ¥*€# right off if they don't like it!

Anyways... I'm really loving it. It's hard work, but I enjoy pushing myself. I can't believe I didn't realise that it was fun, I mean, I've tried this kinda thing before. Thing is, I think the gym is the bit I dislike most. For some reason, being out on the road or on a path through a forest is much more fun. As I mentioned, it's a mile a day. Actually, it's at least 2 kilometres a day, but of late I've been going further. A few 5ks and a 10k have slipped in to the last 20 days. And there's more to come!!!

So... how did all this come about? Well, one of the main inspirations was this video: 

My friend Ashley (from Apple Valley, California, USA) linked me to it on Facebook when I first started the weightloss journey. I don't normally fall for those schmaltzy American video things, but since then, I've watched it once a week, sometimes once a day to spur me on. I've also mentioned before about my supporters on Twitter. Those guys frickin' rock! Any time I start to feel like I'm flagging or going too far, they sort me out! I love that they don't take my crap... In fact, they don't take any nonsense at all!

So, I'm gonna go now. I'll have to hit up a weigh in sometime soon. See what I've managed. After all, it's been a while. I'll get that up here too... Hit me up on twitter if you wanna keep in touch. @eightlab's the name. See ya soon!!!

Life is moving along nicely. Well, that's a lie really, it's moving along, but it isn't without it's ups and downs. Christmas played havoc with my head, too many random things conspiring against me/us, but needless to say, Suzanne was amazing at keeping my head on my shoulders and stopping me from removing other peoples!!!

The New Year fizzled past, I managed to enjoy a migraine, but still a wee kiss with my beautiful wife is all I really need to celebrate anything, a birthday, a marriage... Tuesday. Any excuse really!!!

So in to the New year. Suzi had tons of work to complete in the first week. My crazy wife decided in September that one member of the family getting a PGCE isn't enough, and so she embarked on her own, part time for 2 years at UUJ, but still hard work! She had a portfolio of assignments to be in for the second week in January and hadn't had a chance to look at them, so she got stuck in! I think I can say I was a help, but I'm not sure...

My own PGCE kicked off again on the 6th of January. And back to school i went. Placement at Lagan finished well, it was a great place to go and learn the trade, and I'm grateful to those who took me under their wing and made my time so much easier!!! Now I'm back at Uni. It's truly a difficult year, the PGCE, but hopefully it pays off! Plenty of work and another placement still to go, two big assignments in particular, but I'm up for the challenge!!! We're only one week in to a block of four, and so far I've handed in two methods essays and half an ICT Portfolio... Fun!!!

In three weeks I'll begin my second placement. I've got wind of where I'm going, but it hasn't been confirmed by QUB yet, so I'll keep schtum! It's scary to be going out again in just a few weeks, but it's exciting at the same time... All part of the journey, I guess!

Im sure you'll remember that I had been documenting last year with a Photo-a-day project. Well, I managed to complete it. I'd even considered continuing my 365 into a 730 or whatever, but I kinda knew this year was/is gonna be a busy one... Heck, it's already mid February and I feel like I've barely finished Christmas! So I decided to lessen the pressure a little. I'm still taking photos! Not as much as I'd like, but I'm out there when I can...

This photo was taken from the Old Quarry on the side of Slieve Bernagh in the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. My good friend Andy, you've met him before, arranged to take me for a walk in the hills and this is where we headed. This time last year, I'd not have made to the gates at the entrance to Trassey Track (the far side of that forest you see in the distance!), never mind up the side of a mountain. But I am getting fitter, and hopefully slimmer. Although, I'm still a big, loveable lump! Somethings will never change... Andy is a legend, I've shared this with you already, but it's worth repeating. I have a lot of love for that guy!

The weightloss is still on going. Christmas was fun, I enjoyed myself greatly, but I started back on The Plan in January. It hasn't been as easy as before, I'm maybe not as strict as I used to be, but thankfully I'm still losing. I plan to go hardcore again soon, the mind wasn't aligned with the heart for a bit there, but we've caught up again. I'm sure I've left loads out... Oh, I went to see A Day To Remember in The Academy in Dublin. You should check them out if you like a bit of rock! I know wee Ruth won't like them too much, they just ain't Mumford enough! Haha!

I hope this finds you well... Take care, love ya!

Ten and a half weeks ago, I started a wee journey... Okay, so it was pretty monumental for me, but that's not really the point! When I started, I was 31 stone 4 pounds... Today, i'm somewhere under 28st. This hasn't been in anyway easy!

You already know i'm on "The Plan", and i've been doing pretty well on that... but the time has come to start exercise!!! I'm pretty psyched about this, but incredibly scared too. Part of my problem all along was that I din't really care what society thought of me, at least, that's what I believed... Turns out that I actually cared that much, that I tried to destroy myself. However, now that I know that I care what people think, i'm worried about what people think about me to much!

As I said, i'm going to start a major exercise regime... More so than I've ever engaged in. I'm even taking up the form of exercise I most dread, running. I don't want to be a mini elephant running along a road, alone, in a hi-vis jacket. Then again, I don't want people running with me, because I don't want to hold them back.

Recently, on Twitter (or as I call it "Support Group"), I have found a group of people who want to support me in more than the encouraging words that they post when I put up my latest weigh in results. This is a huge thing for me, strangers that care enough to provide moral support and company really show me that life is going to get better, no matter what I try to do to sabotage it! They've helped me by answering my most mundane questions about running shoes, they've helped me to understand the physiology of running and the importance of getting it right first time. And they've gone above and beyond too...

There are a group of us who are going to run in an event called Parkrun on the 18th december in the Waterworks, Belfast. It's a timed 5k run and the guys on Twitter who are runners are going to go with me. Now, this would be (and kind of is) a daunting task for me, but even though I've never met people like @Lisami75, @paulmccourt and @austinslide... They want to do this with me! That's just awesome. Such amazing kindness! And it gets better...

Today I made a half joke about no being able to afford the running shoes that I want to get because our boiler packed in last night and heating up the house (and my wonderful wife) is more important. Within half an hour of posting that tweet, I had an offer of £10 from three separate people, wanting me to get the trainers and the heating fixed... How amazing is that???

So, this weightloss thing, it used to just be about me... Maybe my wee family too. But now it's bigger than that. I want to lose weight for all the people who believe in me and support me week in, week out! And it's not pressure. It's support! It's a boost! It's inspiration...

Yup! That's what the Tony Ferguson Programme will be hence forth known as...

I've been on "The Plan" for 3 weeks now and i've lost 1 stone and 4 pounds (or 8.2Kg for you Metric lovers out there...) and i'm feeling great. It's quite likely that i've lost more, however, I didn't get weighed on my first day, but a few days in. That being said, in 17 days, 18lbs off is awesome!!!

Clothes are a little looser and I can see a difference in my face. Suzanne can see it in my body, but i'm not sure I can, but in saying that, i'm not going to argue with her! HAHA! 

I have taken pics of myself to do a side by side analysis, but not for public consumption just yet... I'll happily post my weigh ins for y'all to see, but i'm not gonna gross anyone out with pictures of me in a state of undress. I care about you all too much! 

So! "The Plan" is underway... And it has been added to! I've now got some goals, both in physical changes and challenges I want to accomplish! The weightloss goals were easy to pick out. I'd like to be 25 stone by Spring next year, this will put me in good stead for my first challenge, the Camino del Santiago (The Way of St. James)!!! The Camino is a medieval pilgrimage, but although i'm a man of faith, it's just gonna be a big long walk for me. A friend of mine, Tricia, completed the Camino a few years ago and since she told me about it, i've wanted to go! And so, I think it'll be the perfect way for me to celebrate finishing Uni and also getting rid of a load of weight! There's quite a few routes that you can choose from, and i've been recommended to go the Portuguese Way. It's only 227km, but it has a few hilly sections, so it should still be a challenge! 

The second weightloss goal is to be down to 19 stone by the end of 2011. I think that's pretty achievable. I'm certainly up for it! I'm going to keep the second big challenge to myself for a bit, but let's just say it's gonna be a pretty big hill to climb, both in getting there and when i'm there! 

Thanks again for all your support, I really appreciate it. I'll try to keep you all reasonably up to date with any news. Keep well.

...brings a new day!

Guys, thank you so much for your concern. I have to say I was extremely touched by all the kind words. I wasn't fishing for anything and I certainly didn't want pity... I screwed myself up, it's my own fault I'm the way I am, but you guys made me feel a heck of a lot better a whole lot quicker!!!

I guess I just needed to put it down on paper, and since I didn't want to waste paper, this seemed the next logical place!

So... There's been some concern about what I'm doing and how healthy it is. So I want to set your minds at ease... It's all good! The whole programme is recommended by Boots, who I doubt are gonna screw up their reputation backing something rubbish or bad for you, as heavily as they have! I've also had a friend who works in the nutrition field have a look at it, and they said it was ok. I've asked another friend who's mum is a Nutritionist to get me a second opinion.

So what does my day look like? Well, it starts with a breakfast shake and dietary fibre drink. Decent taste and actually quite filling... I've tasted worse a diner! Mid morning I have a piece of fruit and a multivitamin.

For my first lunch (yup... I get two, how's that for cutting down) I have some protein (chicken, etc) and unlimited vegetables from a controlled list, then a bit later my second lunch is a soup (and more veg if I want!). The soups aren't my favourite... Almost like an instore brand of cuppa soup! 

Mid afternoon I have another piece of fruit and a Chromium tablet to stop my sugars from crashing. Then at tea time, another bit of protein and even more veg. During the day, I also get to have a portion of "good fats" at some point during the day. Like unsalted nuts or olives, etc. And there's also three treats a week from a controlled list, but the selection is quite good and includes alcohol, but I've already quit that. Four months on the wagon today!!!

Plus I have to drink at least two litres of water a day, which can be made up of sugar free dilutable juices or a small amount of diet fizzys (banned by me). I'm drinking about 4 litres of water though. Just water. And I'm happy enough with that!!!

I've already noticed changes. Like this morning, I got in to the passenger side of the car and didn't have to fight to get the seat belt in, in face there was a tiny bit of slack... That was a huge smile on my face!!!

And clothes are looser! They truly are... This scares me a little as it means I was much heavier than the scales showed me yesterday, but the numbers are going in the right direction. I'm gonna try to blog about this more often, not for the "you can do it responses", I just wanna keep a diary of my thoughts. And if people wanna read... Well that's cool too!

But thanks again... It made today easier!!!

And I mean me!

This is not a cry for help and I don't want anyone's pity, but this is getting put down in text and if you end up reading it, then there's not a lot I can do about that. Yes, I'm putting it in the public domain, because I know I have friends who'll want to know what is going on in my mind, but I don't think i'm gonna be able to tell them.

So, a few weeks back I decided that I'd go on the Tony Ferguson Weightloss programme, but that i'd not start it while I was at Uni as I didn't want to lose focus on it while on holiday. (If you wanna know about the programme, Google it.) I had a few weeks to wean myself off a number of my addictions, fizzy drinks, etc. And over the three weeks, cut them all out... I was now ready.

I started on Monday just passed. Same day as I started my lectures. I went to Sprucefield and picked up my supplies for the next two weeks and got myself psyched up for the next day. On my way home, I realised that I'd forgotten to weigh myself/get weighed at the consultation, so I thought I'd get weighed today.

Today, I was getting the train home, so I thought i'll dander up to Boots, get weighed and then walk on home. I was proud of myself for walking, it's about a 1.5 miles, with a bit of incline at the start and end. A wee work out, so off I popped.

The weighing machine was annoying (i'll save that for a time when I'm in a better mood), but it did the job and I got my results. I pocketed them and walked outside. It had started raining heavier, something that in retrospect i'm extremely grateful for, but I had a quick look at the ticket the results were printed on and there were the numbers that have decimated any self respect I had mustered over the past number of months.

No point in hiding them. That's them up there... 31st 1lb. Absolutely disgraceful. It might not shock some people, but it was a shock to me. I didn't know what weight I was. I knew I was heavier than I should be, but i'd never in a million years have thought that i'd gone through the 30st barrier. I'm absolutely disgusted with myself.

I've even fecking shrunk!!! I used to be 6' 2" spot on... I'm so fricking heavy that i've lost 1.3inches!
As I walked home, I just started crying. The rain helped me not look like a mad man, thusly i'm probably the only person around these parts who's grateful that he got absolutely soaked on the way home. I have to admit, the tears aren't that far away right now.

That's it. I have no more words. Well, none that Suzanne will be happy at me saying in print. So, i'm gonna leave that there. Sorry if you've just wasted your time reading this, I'll try to give you that back someday... Maybe.

Friday saw me working with the P4 class. It was easy to see the shift in ability and confidence between P3 & P4. A little more mature, but still doe-eyed at the same time. The work and style of teaching had evolved somewhat too. A little more effort required by the pupils, some of whom are more capable than others. But that'll always be the way, I suppose. Starting the day with "Busy sheets", a fun way of doing some maths, we moved on to Travel Books, where the kids had to write an introduction of themselves to be sent off to somewhere else in the world. Next it was some maths (or Numeracy, as it's now known), 3D shapes were the order of the day. This pretty much led up to lunch. After which, the class had earned enough "Golden Time" during the week, to make buns before home time! A great wee day...

The weekend just got in my way, to be honest, but Monday came soon enough and it was in to P5/6/7. A class of 16 kids that have come to the school midway thru their primary careers because the parents believed in the ethos of the new school. A leap in ability again, as one would expect, but also in sophistication. There's more individualism in this bunch and a little more dedication to boot. I don't know of this comes from being a mixed age group, but it's very evident throughout. Numeracy started the day, before moving on to some literacy. After break, it was PE, which consisted of Field Hockey skills, as this year group are going to try to put together the school's first team!

After lunch, it was World Around Us, which in the case of this class was about anatomy. Bones to be exact... And the topic i'll be teaching on for Thursday's teaching practice session. Scary? Only a little bit...

We finished the day with some Storytime. A Dahl short story, it was Roald Dahl Day after all! And then home...

Next up is some lesson planning for me, followed by the actual teaching of said plans over the course of this week. First topic "Friendship" with P4! Oh boy...

The past three days have been all about the first three years... Namely P1, P2 and P3!!!

It's been a great experience. I don't know about you, but I don't remember much about my own experience of these years, so it's been interesting to experience it all again. Now don't get me wrong, I'm under no illusion that my time in these classes was anything like what I've experienced, but I'm sure I was just like these kids!

P1 was a real eye opener! It took me the rest of the day just to process exactly what was going on! The structure of the day alone seemed to be so much fun, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised and recognised the hidden learning inside the day. There is so much more to P1 than I had ever thought there was. It really is a foundation to learning. I realise that I only experienced one day, but being in P2 the following day, I could see the natural progression in how the next stages of learning could take place. So...

P2 then! It's less play, but still fun. The main bulk of the day was around Phonics. How letters and words sound. The interactive whiteboard comes in to it's own during these lessons (I want one, even if it's Windows based!!!) and the kids get so involved. How amazing that these kids want to learn because of how fun it is. Next they learned a song based on the School Term's topic, Ourselves. The whole school is working on the same theme. An awesome idea! The song was about what makes up a body... Then there was a story When a Monster is born... which the kids apparently love so much that they know it by heart!!!

P3 was today. It felt more like what I remember school being, but still way more enjoyable (and I had a great, progressive teacher back then!!!). It was still very interactive and independent, lots of whiteboard interaction and discussion. Phonics, handwriting and numeracy were the order of the day, with a good portion of French too... French!!! These kids can play Mr. Wolf in a completely different language and they are 6! How awesome!!! 

I got to do a little bit of teaching today. Working with a few of the kids on their numeracy and handwriting. That was so much fun. I'm taking actual lessons next week, which had been scaring me a little, but doing that today has eased my mind a little. I don't know if it's just this school or if all schools are the same now, but I can't wait to have kids and send them to this wee school. It's heart and mind is awesome. It's completely Integrated (Race, Sex, Religion). It teaches kids to be environmentally friendly, and then practices what it preaches. It includes differently-abled in a "mainstream" classroom and the staff actually care. The teachers are amazing!

And it makes me want to be the same...

I'm starting a new life. Right now I'm in the early stages of a PGCE in English. I say the early stages... but I should just say the first days!

On the 6th September, I matriculated as a Post Grad Student of Queen's University of Belfast, the Alma Mater... I was here for my Drama degree, and now I'm back to become a teacher!

Basically this consists of:

2 weeks at Primary School Placement
6 weeks at QUB - Tutorials
11 weeks at Secondary School Placement
4 weeks at QUB - Tutorials
11 weeks at Secondary/Grammar School Placement
2 weeks at QUB - Tutorials/Finishing up

Then, hopefully, it's job hunting time!

I'm currently at Rowandale Integrated Primary School for my initial Placement. Such a lively, fun and lovely wee school. Only really starting out itself (this is it's fourth academic year), but it's got a great feeling about it. The staff have been amazing, so welcoming. And ready to share whatever information they can to help me along my way. It'll be the first place I'll ever teach as an NQT/Student Teacher (next week, eek!) and therefore will hold a special place in my memory of this year!

Well, hopefully I'll use this blog site as a diary style effort, keep you all posted on how things are going... In the meantime, put down your pencils and fingers on lips! Night!