With just over three weeks left in his 'Shaping Up' challenge, iafrica.com's Rob Peters is nervously watching the hours tick by… Will he be ready in time for his big reveal? Our obsessive, calorie-counting Head of Sport is not willing to make any bold statements just yet.

Three months down and one to go…

I have entered the final stretch in my Transfit programme and as I look ahead to the next three weeks I am spurred on by the knowledge that I still have plenty left to prove. Not to anybody else, but rather to myself.

I have battled with my weight my entire life, but I can confidently say I have never been this close to winning. I have dropped down to a weight I previously only targeted, but never reached, and with time left on the clock I plan to finish the job this time around.

It won't be over for me when I stand on the scale at the end of the month, but the hardest work is behind me. I no longer dread exercise; I seek it out. And junk food has become exactly that… junk. Of course, there is the maintenance factor, but I am looking beyond just maintenance — I am now seeking constant improvement.

So, as I step on the scale for my third month's weigh-in, I am more focussed on my measurements and the performance-based aspects of the assessment. Weight is no longer my focal point. The challenge to continue to beat my personal bests, however, has become my new obsession.

I still count calories; have become anal about what I eat; avoid office birthdays like the plague; and duck for cover when anybody so much as sniffles in my vicinity. But I no longer do battle inside my own head. I am comfortable with the lifestyle I have forced myself to undertake and I believe that is key to maintaining it from next month onwards.

So, as I step onto the treadmill to continue my assessment I attempt to get my mind in the right place. I know that sooner or later I am going to plateau, and knocking off time and adding repetitions will become more difficult. But when I consider where I was when I started this challenge, I can live with that…

Will I be where I want to be by the time my final assessment rolls around? Well, let's wait and see shall we?

Below you can take a look at my assessment results.

Measurements:

  • Weight: 80.7kg – 77.5kg
  • Chest: 102.5 – 98
  • Right arm: 33.5 - 33
  • Left arm 31.5 - 32
  • Upper waist 80.5 – 77.5
  • Lower waist: 87 – 79.5
  • Right upper thigh: 56 - 56
  • Right lower thigh: 47.5 - 47
  • Left upper thigh: 57.5 - 54
  • Left lower thigh: 48 - 47
  • Right calf: 38 - 38
  • Left calf: 40 - 39

    Total centimetres lost: 21

    Assessment times:

  • Push-ups (1 minute): 55 - 63
  • Sit ups (1 minute): 40 – 31 (not sure what happened there!)
  • Run (2km): 8.37 – 8.36 minutes
  • Row (1km): 3.31 – 3.25 minutes
  • 10min bike: 4.43km – 4.51km

  • Rob will be tracking his progress in a bi-weekly column so be sure to follow what is certain to be an emotional and amusing journey for our out-of-shape sports pundit right here on iafrica.com.

  • Any comments — or advice — for Rob? Have you say below!

  • To contact John Meintjes give him a call on 082 564 8594 or e-mail him at john.transfit@gmail.com

  • To get in touch with Transfit: e-mail them at info@transfit.co.za / or visit their website.


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