It's day 25 of the no sugar challenge-I'm officially half way through and it's been a lot easier than I thought it would.
While I still miss my condiments, the sugar cravings I thought would come, haven't eventuated. Don't get me wrong. I still fancy the occasional sugary food but resistance is easy. The desire for sugar is a simple mmm...I wouldn't mind a bit of that, rather than a mind obsessing craving for something, anything, sweet.
An interesting side effect-
In the last couple of days I've begun to feel hungry. Not often but definitely. This is something that hasn't happened in years. It has been a bit strange in as much as it doesn't creep up on me. It's just like one minute I'm not hungry or thinking of food and the next I'm starving fit to gnaw my own arm off. And it stays with me until I eat something. I'm really pleased. Once this settles down it will be a lot easier to follow the intuitive eating philosophy.
While the point of this challenge isn't weight loss it has been a pleasant side effect. I'm satisfied to be able to report that my weight has stabilized and started to, very slowly, reduce.
Showing posts with label progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label progress. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
How Far I've Come
The scales have been bouncing up and down between 82 and 83 kg for the past six weeks. It's incredibly frustrating, eating well and exercising and seeing no payoff for the effort. I know plateau are to be expected but that doesn't make the situation any less disheartening. I was tempted to try a second round of the kick start diet to see if I could fire things up again but thought before I did I'd reactivate my old Calorie King account. What I found there made me stop and appreciate just how much I've already achieved.
In the past couple of years I've lost over 25kg (35 if I count the 10kg I regained and relost last year). That is a great effort. Back at the start I would have been delighted to be where I am today.
I'm over half way to my ultimate goal, with only 15 or 16 kg to go. I could, realistically, be at my goal weight for Christmas.
So I am committing myself to achieving that very thing. Baby steps-first goal to get the scales moving in a downward direction again by the end of this month. I will achieve this by continuing with daily exercise at an increased intensity and closly moitoring my intake, recording it at Calorie King and eating only when really hungry. If I have made no progress by 21st of the month I will then repeat week one of the kick start diet for the last week of this month.
Further I will report my frustrations, disappointments and difficulties here rather than let them drive me to the fridge.
Goal weight here I come.
In the past couple of years I've lost over 25kg (35 if I count the 10kg I regained and relost last year). That is a great effort. Back at the start I would have been delighted to be where I am today.
I'm over half way to my ultimate goal, with only 15 or 16 kg to go. I could, realistically, be at my goal weight for Christmas.
So I am committing myself to achieving that very thing. Baby steps-first goal to get the scales moving in a downward direction again by the end of this month. I will achieve this by continuing with daily exercise at an increased intensity and closly moitoring my intake, recording it at Calorie King and eating only when really hungry. If I have made no progress by 21st of the month I will then repeat week one of the kick start diet for the last week of this month.
Further I will report my frustrations, disappointments and difficulties here rather than let them drive me to the fridge.
Goal weight here I come.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January 11th
Although I've decided to only weigh in formally once a week, and to have fortnightly goals, I did pop on the scale today, and everything's paying off - I've lost 4.4k since the first of January! And yes, I'm well aware that it's mostly water, but I'm still pleased.
After yesterday's day of slackness I got straight out of bed this morning and, after a cup of green tea and a few sultanas, went straight into the Michelle Bridges Super Circuit DVD - all the residual pec soreness from my last circuit was gone, and I managed to keep up with everything except a couple of crunches. I was running late for the hairdresser so I alternated running (or very slow jogging, to be more accurate) 50 steps for every 100 I walked. I walked back, then to and from another appointment, for a total of 75 minutes of sustained (ie greater than 10 minutes) walking at or above 5k/hr, 7 minutes of jogging, and 25 minutes of circuit training.
Breakfast was skim milk and water porridge with regular oats and some beta glucan-rich barley and oats, a couple of mashed brazil nuts, some dates, chia and linseed, topped with hot berries. I had a late lunch, that was a redux of yesterday, and dinner was kick start soup with (because I'm not kick starting) a multigrain muffin, followed by a kiwi fruit and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate. For snacks I had an apple and one of Aldi's Yakault equivalents.
I was at Priceline this afternoon, and though I didn't find what I was looking for (some kind of product to protect my hair from chlorine), I did manage to buy a whole lot of other essential beauty products, for my face and skin. I also bought a thigh toner (review to follow) and a BMI analyser. I'm sure it's not clinical accurate, but I'm interested to see how my figures change in the months ahead. My BMI is now 36.8 (from a starting point of 43.4 back in October 2010), and I got three relatively close fat percentages on three readings, that averaged at 38.5%.
I'm feeling positive and only a little hungry, and quite getting used to the latter sensation. I'm well aware that I've been here before, many times, but I feel confident about finally breaking through the psychological impediment that always has me retreat into calories and weight regain whenever I drop under 100k. The next month or so will see - my aim is to be under 98k by the end of the month (that's a 2.3k loss over twenty days, or just shy of 800g a week), and under 95 by the end of February.
Next week marks the beginning of my dropping down to part time and I'm really looking forward to having the extra time off. I am, of course, going to be spending time working on the campaign, but that's not going to take anything like 40 hours a week - at least some of that time will be devoted to lifestyle change, and I'm also going to get caught up on all my overdue projects - like sorting through papers, filing back tax returns, and transcribing interviews for uni. Oh, and getting my driving license. I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead - Alex
After yesterday's day of slackness I got straight out of bed this morning and, after a cup of green tea and a few sultanas, went straight into the Michelle Bridges Super Circuit DVD - all the residual pec soreness from my last circuit was gone, and I managed to keep up with everything except a couple of crunches. I was running late for the hairdresser so I alternated running (or very slow jogging, to be more accurate) 50 steps for every 100 I walked. I walked back, then to and from another appointment, for a total of 75 minutes of sustained (ie greater than 10 minutes) walking at or above 5k/hr, 7 minutes of jogging, and 25 minutes of circuit training.
Breakfast was skim milk and water porridge with regular oats and some beta glucan-rich barley and oats, a couple of mashed brazil nuts, some dates, chia and linseed, topped with hot berries. I had a late lunch, that was a redux of yesterday, and dinner was kick start soup with (because I'm not kick starting) a multigrain muffin, followed by a kiwi fruit and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate. For snacks I had an apple and one of Aldi's Yakault equivalents.
I was at Priceline this afternoon, and though I didn't find what I was looking for (some kind of product to protect my hair from chlorine), I did manage to buy a whole lot of other essential beauty products, for my face and skin. I also bought a thigh toner (review to follow) and a BMI analyser. I'm sure it's not clinical accurate, but I'm interested to see how my figures change in the months ahead. My BMI is now 36.8 (from a starting point of 43.4 back in October 2010), and I got three relatively close fat percentages on three readings, that averaged at 38.5%.
I'm feeling positive and only a little hungry, and quite getting used to the latter sensation. I'm well aware that I've been here before, many times, but I feel confident about finally breaking through the psychological impediment that always has me retreat into calories and weight regain whenever I drop under 100k. The next month or so will see - my aim is to be under 98k by the end of the month (that's a 2.3k loss over twenty days, or just shy of 800g a week), and under 95 by the end of February.
Next week marks the beginning of my dropping down to part time and I'm really looking forward to having the extra time off. I am, of course, going to be spending time working on the campaign, but that's not going to take anything like 40 hours a week - at least some of that time will be devoted to lifestyle change, and I'm also going to get caught up on all my overdue projects - like sorting through papers, filing back tax returns, and transcribing interviews for uni. Oh, and getting my driving license. I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead - Alex
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Elusive 82
In the couple of weeks since the end of the kick start diet I have been maintaining my new lower weight.
This is great since I fully expected to regain a kilo or two with the reintroduction of sugar/fat/processed foods to my diet. Though my intake of all these things is considerably reduced from what it was pre-kick start, I'd be lying if I said I had given them all up entirely.
No matter what my weight, maintainance is what I aim for at this time of year. Things usually start slipping with the birthday-a-thon beginning of December and continue to slide through Xmas and New Year, often not stopping again until holidays end when school goes back. This year has been no different.
So when I weighed myself this morning I didn't have particularly high expectations. But then-there it was: I'd broken through the 82kg glass ceiling.
I've reached this point several times over the past decade and a half. In the past it has always been the lowest I go before the boomarang turns and the kilos start to pile back on.
I am determined this time will be different.
I am determined to enter the new year under 80 kilos. I know attempting to actually lose weight is a huge undertaking at this time of year. Possibly more of a challenge than at any other time, with the possible exception of Easter.
But I'm going to give it a go.
Wish me luck.
This is great since I fully expected to regain a kilo or two with the reintroduction of sugar/fat/processed foods to my diet. Though my intake of all these things is considerably reduced from what it was pre-kick start, I'd be lying if I said I had given them all up entirely.
No matter what my weight, maintainance is what I aim for at this time of year. Things usually start slipping with the birthday-a-thon beginning of December and continue to slide through Xmas and New Year, often not stopping again until holidays end when school goes back. This year has been no different.
So when I weighed myself this morning I didn't have particularly high expectations. But then-there it was: I'd broken through the 82kg glass ceiling.
I've reached this point several times over the past decade and a half. In the past it has always been the lowest I go before the boomarang turns and the kilos start to pile back on.
I am determined this time will be different.
I am determined to enter the new year under 80 kilos. I know attempting to actually lose weight is a huge undertaking at this time of year. Possibly more of a challenge than at any other time, with the possible exception of Easter.
But I'm going to give it a go.
Wish me luck.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The magic of fad diets
So after the two fruit days when any fruit except highly-calorific bananas were allowed, on day four my (by now quite boring) soup can be supplemented by up to three banana smoothies. I'm not quite sure how they're high potassium levels (like the vast quantities of tomatoes in the soup and in the two days ahead) now outweigh their calorie count, but that's why I'm not a fad diet creator.
Yesterday was a bit of a catastrophe, though in the reverse way one might expect. I did, I must confess, break the Kick Start diet a smidge, by eating about 10g of crisps, but my total daily intake was very low. As, in fact it has been since Friday: Friday 546, Saturday 747, Sunday 544, Monday 709, and today a comparatively whopping 1168 - must be the potassium!
I had my soup overnight, plus the alluring crisps (or, to be precise, Smith's Aussie Fries), and before leaving work (at around 8:45AM) I had a multigrain muffin with extra light ricotta and half a tomato, followed by half a packed of delicious Soyco Malaysian Satay tofu (and I'm surprised by LiveStrong's nutrition break down of 47.3% fat when the label says 9.6...) I then went to help my mother pack for a trip to Rome, and got home around 3PM, so exhausted I showered and went to bed, sleeping until 1AM and then again from 3AM til 7:45, so no Day Three update, and not much eating or, sadly, exercising.
That's probably a good thing, as the cold I've been incubating's picked up a touch - last night I had some slightly alarming creaky on inspiration, and as I type I'm shivering with a low-grade fever. So perhaps working out is something to put - or, more accurately, stay - on hold. Just getting the washing off the line made me both short of breath and a little nauseated.
I did cheat a little this morning, weighing in before the week's over: 4.4k off since Saturday's weigh in (or 3.3 since the Friday weight). I think it's way too soon to be triumphant, and no doubt a chunk of that's water weight, but it's still a move in the right direction. - Alex
Yesterday was a bit of a catastrophe, though in the reverse way one might expect. I did, I must confess, break the Kick Start diet a smidge, by eating about 10g of crisps, but my total daily intake was very low. As, in fact it has been since Friday: Friday 546, Saturday 747, Sunday 544, Monday 709, and today a comparatively whopping 1168 - must be the potassium!
I had my soup overnight, plus the alluring crisps (or, to be precise, Smith's Aussie Fries), and before leaving work (at around 8:45AM) I had a multigrain muffin with extra light ricotta and half a tomato, followed by half a packed of delicious Soyco Malaysian Satay tofu (and I'm surprised by LiveStrong's nutrition break down of 47.3% fat when the label says 9.6...) I then went to help my mother pack for a trip to Rome, and got home around 3PM, so exhausted I showered and went to bed, sleeping until 1AM and then again from 3AM til 7:45, so no Day Three update, and not much eating or, sadly, exercising.
That's probably a good thing, as the cold I've been incubating's picked up a touch - last night I had some slightly alarming creaky on inspiration, and as I type I'm shivering with a low-grade fever. So perhaps working out is something to put - or, more accurately, stay - on hold. Just getting the washing off the line made me both short of breath and a little nauseated.
I did cheat a little this morning, weighing in before the week's over: 4.4k off since Saturday's weigh in (or 3.3 since the Friday weight). I think it's way too soon to be triumphant, and no doubt a chunk of that's water weight, but it's still a move in the right direction. - Alex
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Day 365...
Tomorrow will be twelve months since I first started Lite'n'Easy and embarked anew on changing my lifestyle to the healthier. I've lost 14k so far, which isn't a bad thing but I've definitely lost ground from an initially strong start, and had several falls from grace with corresponding restarts. I lost ten kilos in the first four months, and by mid-April got under 100k for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately this seems to have been a strong emotional trigger, because I rapidly returned to the safety of triple figures, virtually stopped blogging, abandoned CalorieKing and, three months later, even stopped my monthly measurements.
I haven't been sleeping enough, I've had enormous difficulty getting in enough water (and though I know eight glasses a day is a myth, when I don't drink enough, especially if I haven't slept, my feet swell), I've done no real exercise in entirely too long (the odd walk here and there may be good but it's hardly aerobic), and my diet's veered way off track.
On less-relevant but allied topics, I'm well behind on the thesis front (not entirely my fault but that makes it no less problematic), I've got three years worth of tax returns to finalise and submit, the financial records I've maintained for the past four years have been neglected for months, and my house deposit has been badly eroded.
I've just returned to Melbourne after three weeks in Europe, and I'm ready to get my life back on track on the multiple fronts of academic, financial and lifestyle.
I bought a new diet book a couple of months ago, The 17 Day Diet by Dr Mike Moreno, and am thinking I might give it a go, though I haven't finished (or even done much more than start) it. From what I've gleaned so far, it's composed of four sections - the first three are 17 days each, followed by a maintenance phase. Why 17 days? I have no idea - thus far there's been no indication why two and a half weeks is magically better than two or three, but the first three phases take fifty one days, and that brings us almost to summer.
I'm going to start, though, with a kick start. The Kick Start soup diet, to be precise. Yes, in the long-term this is ridiculous, and come December I'll be switching to a diet high in complex carbs, minimal animal protein, and lots of fruit and vegies. But a week of high-fibre, ultra-low carb, low fat eating won't hurt me, a concept I'm much more comfortable with after reading this article - I'm not 450 pounds, but I also have no intention of fasting for over a year!
So my plan is to start the Kick Start program tomorrow (October 1st, my dieting anniversary), stage 1 of the Moreno program the following week (October 8), stage 2 a magical 17 days later (October 25), stage 3 17 days after that (November 11), and look at the maintenance program 17 days after that, which brings us to the beginning of December.
There is a titchy hiccup to be negotiated - day 1 of stage 3 is also day 1 of a three-weeks-and-change trip back to the UK. However, though this may put a little crimp in the exercise component, I can pick diet-appropriate meals (I'll be flying business with an option to upgrade, and thus many menu options) for the meals en route, and just need to apply a bit more discipline than usual, and can weigh in on December 1st at my sister's - though not first thing in the morning and naked it'll still give me an idea of how I'm going.
It's not been all sedentary since I last wrote - in June I hiked in Olympic National Park, Washington with my US-based sister and brother-in-law, managing to scale a 5,000 foot mountain without expiring, and actual enjoyed both the exertion and the view, as well as the three other hikes over the short time I was there. In fact, I plan to join her in Colorado next year for a few hikes at altitude, God help me!
And my recent trip included a couple of exertional activities - on the day arrived my other sister, brother-in-law and 'niblings' took me for an hour on a paddle boat, and I managed to paddle for most of the time; much to my surprise I was able to walk afterward, and would have enjoyed it even more if I'd had a shower first! On my last day in London, four days ago, my sister and I hired Boris's Bikes for an hour or so and rode through Hyde Park - I was quite apprehensive, as I haven't been on a bike that actually moves (as opposed to the odd short spin on an exercise bike) in easily twenty-five years, but the adage is true and, with the exception of the occasional wobble, I was fine, albeit a little puffed. So perhaps, despite the sedentary nature of my past few months, I may not have lost all my fitness achievements.
I know that my backsliding went hand in hand with my abandonment of blogging, so I'm also going to post something every day, even if all I'm documenting is that I'm maintaining my momentum. - Alex
I haven't been sleeping enough, I've had enormous difficulty getting in enough water (and though I know eight glasses a day is a myth, when I don't drink enough, especially if I haven't slept, my feet swell), I've done no real exercise in entirely too long (the odd walk here and there may be good but it's hardly aerobic), and my diet's veered way off track.
On less-relevant but allied topics, I'm well behind on the thesis front (not entirely my fault but that makes it no less problematic), I've got three years worth of tax returns to finalise and submit, the financial records I've maintained for the past four years have been neglected for months, and my house deposit has been badly eroded.
I've just returned to Melbourne after three weeks in Europe, and I'm ready to get my life back on track on the multiple fronts of academic, financial and lifestyle.
I bought a new diet book a couple of months ago, The 17 Day Diet by Dr Mike Moreno, and am thinking I might give it a go, though I haven't finished (or even done much more than start) it. From what I've gleaned so far, it's composed of four sections - the first three are 17 days each, followed by a maintenance phase. Why 17 days? I have no idea - thus far there's been no indication why two and a half weeks is magically better than two or three, but the first three phases take fifty one days, and that brings us almost to summer.
I'm going to start, though, with a kick start. The Kick Start soup diet, to be precise. Yes, in the long-term this is ridiculous, and come December I'll be switching to a diet high in complex carbs, minimal animal protein, and lots of fruit and vegies. But a week of high-fibre, ultra-low carb, low fat eating won't hurt me, a concept I'm much more comfortable with after reading this article - I'm not 450 pounds, but I also have no intention of fasting for over a year!
So my plan is to start the Kick Start program tomorrow (October 1st, my dieting anniversary), stage 1 of the Moreno program the following week (October 8), stage 2 a magical 17 days later (October 25), stage 3 17 days after that (November 11), and look at the maintenance program 17 days after that, which brings us to the beginning of December.
There is a titchy hiccup to be negotiated - day 1 of stage 3 is also day 1 of a three-weeks-and-change trip back to the UK. However, though this may put a little crimp in the exercise component, I can pick diet-appropriate meals (I'll be flying business with an option to upgrade, and thus many menu options) for the meals en route, and just need to apply a bit more discipline than usual, and can weigh in on December 1st at my sister's - though not first thing in the morning and naked it'll still give me an idea of how I'm going.
It's not been all sedentary since I last wrote - in June I hiked in Olympic National Park, Washington with my US-based sister and brother-in-law, managing to scale a 5,000 foot mountain without expiring, and actual enjoyed both the exertion and the view, as well as the three other hikes over the short time I was there. In fact, I plan to join her in Colorado next year for a few hikes at altitude, God help me!
And my recent trip included a couple of exertional activities - on the day arrived my other sister, brother-in-law and 'niblings' took me for an hour on a paddle boat, and I managed to paddle for most of the time; much to my surprise I was able to walk afterward, and would have enjoyed it even more if I'd had a shower first! On my last day in London, four days ago, my sister and I hired Boris's Bikes for an hour or so and rode through Hyde Park - I was quite apprehensive, as I haven't been on a bike that actually moves (as opposed to the odd short spin on an exercise bike) in easily twenty-five years, but the adage is true and, with the exception of the occasional wobble, I was fine, albeit a little puffed. So perhaps, despite the sedentary nature of my past few months, I may not have lost all my fitness achievements.
I know that my backsliding went hand in hand with my abandonment of blogging, so I'm also going to post something every day, even if all I'm documenting is that I'm maintaining my momentum. - Alex
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Program Paused
Today is C25K week 1 day 2 and I can honestly report that I have broken into a sweat. Sadly it was while sitting on the couch.
Yes, I'm still sick.
To be honest when I started this program on Monday I really thought that this cold would have cleared up by today. Just goes to show how much I know. If anything I'm worse. I've now lost my voice and have a bona fide fever. Since there's little point in killing myself in order to get fit I've decided to temporarily throw in the towel and pause the program until I'm better.
I've heroically dragged myself around the supermarket and now I'm going to spend the rest of the day dozing on the couch watching dust settle.
Regular programming will hopefully resume shortly. - Lynn
Yes, I'm still sick.
To be honest when I started this program on Monday I really thought that this cold would have cleared up by today. Just goes to show how much I know. If anything I'm worse. I've now lost my voice and have a bona fide fever. Since there's little point in killing myself in order to get fit I've decided to temporarily throw in the towel and pause the program until I'm better.
I've heroically dragged myself around the supermarket and now I'm going to spend the rest of the day dozing on the couch watching dust settle.
Regular programming will hopefully resume shortly. - Lynn
Friday, December 31, 2010
Three month review
I've tracked my weight and measurements on the first of the quarter, on and off, since the nineties. Some years I skipped it altogether, others I managed every six months instead of every three, but on my computer there's a file tracking my dimensions for the past decade and a half. At the top of a series of tables is a summary: my highest and lowest weights and measurements.
The lowest weight is from 1991, when I did the now-defunct NutriSystem program - they supplied a week's worth of (predominantly synthetic or canned) food and conducted weekly weigh-ins. Having a history of an eating disorder was a warning flag that meant they needed to consult a physician before signing someone up, but that slowed down the sale not at all. It should have - I lost maybe 8 kilos in about seven weeks, but relapsed into the bulimic behaviour that characterised parts of my adolescence. My initial weight gain (some 30k in the time between leaving high school and dropping out of uni) is at least partly attributable to stopping the purging but keeping the binging. Fortunately I decided I'd rather be fat and relatively healthy than thin and regurgitating.
My heaviest weight was three months ago today.
I'd already decided to start Lite'n'Easy, the latest in a long line of short-lived life changing resolutions; seeing 118.2 on the scales did help a bit with the impetus. Having food automatically delivered every week has been a big part in sticking to it - I've fluctuated with my compliance on the exercise front, but stuck to the calories very well.
And it's paid off - though I'm sure my progress would be faster if I walked more consistently, and had more days beginning with a workout instead of half an hour (that inevitably stretches) online or with a book, the weigh is still coming off. That, of course, encourages me to continue. In thirteen weeks I've lost a shade under a kilo a week, or 12.2k to date, which is no bad thing. I'm trying to focus on that, and the smaller vital statistics, rather than the very long road ahead, not always successfully.
There are many things I've so far enjoyed about Lite'n'Easy - the food is varied, filling, tasty, nutritious and convenient. the two most useful aspects from a weight-loss perspective, though, are that everything's portion controlled (a serving of corn chips is a lot smaller than my usual consumption!), and the delegation of decision making. The only time I make any decisions about eating is when I place an order, and even then the choices are limited - though I have a wide selection of dinners to pick from, when it comes to lunches I can pick either the popular (default) meal or the optional (usually less interesting) alternative. That's it.
As I'll explain tomorrow, I've reconsidered my original plan because of that aspect. Instead of a three month lifestyle change kicked off with three months of Lite'n'Easy, followed by the Real Age weight loss program, prioritising my long-term health, I'm sticking with what's working for now. I need to put back the exercise, too, and that's coming. But for now, looking back, I'm going to focus on the fact that I've been sensible, that I've lost a hair over 10% of my starting weight in three months, that I'm eating two servings of fruit and at least five of vegetables every day, and that I'm stronger and have more stamina than I've had in a long time. - Alex
The lowest weight is from 1991, when I did the now-defunct NutriSystem program - they supplied a week's worth of (predominantly synthetic or canned) food and conducted weekly weigh-ins. Having a history of an eating disorder was a warning flag that meant they needed to consult a physician before signing someone up, but that slowed down the sale not at all. It should have - I lost maybe 8 kilos in about seven weeks, but relapsed into the bulimic behaviour that characterised parts of my adolescence. My initial weight gain (some 30k in the time between leaving high school and dropping out of uni) is at least partly attributable to stopping the purging but keeping the binging. Fortunately I decided I'd rather be fat and relatively healthy than thin and regurgitating.
My heaviest weight was three months ago today.
I'd already decided to start Lite'n'Easy, the latest in a long line of short-lived life changing resolutions; seeing 118.2 on the scales did help a bit with the impetus. Having food automatically delivered every week has been a big part in sticking to it - I've fluctuated with my compliance on the exercise front, but stuck to the calories very well.
And it's paid off - though I'm sure my progress would be faster if I walked more consistently, and had more days beginning with a workout instead of half an hour (that inevitably stretches) online or with a book, the weigh is still coming off. That, of course, encourages me to continue. In thirteen weeks I've lost a shade under a kilo a week, or 12.2k to date, which is no bad thing. I'm trying to focus on that, and the smaller vital statistics, rather than the very long road ahead, not always successfully.
There are many things I've so far enjoyed about Lite'n'Easy - the food is varied, filling, tasty, nutritious and convenient. the two most useful aspects from a weight-loss perspective, though, are that everything's portion controlled (a serving of corn chips is a lot smaller than my usual consumption!), and the delegation of decision making. The only time I make any decisions about eating is when I place an order, and even then the choices are limited - though I have a wide selection of dinners to pick from, when it comes to lunches I can pick either the popular (default) meal or the optional (usually less interesting) alternative. That's it.
As I'll explain tomorrow, I've reconsidered my original plan because of that aspect. Instead of a three month lifestyle change kicked off with three months of Lite'n'Easy, followed by the Real Age weight loss program, prioritising my long-term health, I'm sticking with what's working for now. I need to put back the exercise, too, and that's coming. But for now, looking back, I'm going to focus on the fact that I've been sensible, that I've lost a hair over 10% of my starting weight in three months, that I'm eating two servings of fruit and at least five of vegetables every day, and that I'm stronger and have more stamina than I've had in a long time. - Alex
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Week 13 - day 7 (day 90)
Though there's be a long gap between entries, I haven't (entirely) fallen off the lifestyle-change wagon. I think I've pretty much got the eating part down pat, but the exercise aspect is proving considerably easier to stop and vastly harder to restart, with the unhappy result that I've barely done anything more energetic than an amble in the past month or so. And I know this is a recurring theme, but I'm three months in and don't seem to be doing any better. On the other hand, and I think focusing on how well I'm doing as well as where I need to improve is helpfully, I'm around 8k down; though I'd rather be averaging over a kilo a week instead of just over half that, the goal is that I'm losing, consistently, at an achievable pace, and I'm track with those objectives. - Alex
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Week 9 - day 1 (day 57)
So it's day one, which hasn't gone off quite like I planned, because I've been awake since 4AM, which isn't really compatible with safe working overnight, and I rang in sick. Which doesn't fit in with the picture I had.
That aside, however, the first day of my week of eating and exercising optimally has gone well. The first days' food is usually pretty good, and this week was no exception - Bircher muesli and a multigrain muffin with margarine and Vegemite for breakfast, a salad topped with Thai-inspired beef strips and an apple for lunch, snacks of cheese and crackers, peach fruit cup, light fruit cake, and an Asian rice bowl (rice, chicken and vegetables).
More usefully, I tried the third of Australian Biggest Loser trainers Shannan Ponton and Michelle Bridges' work out DVDs, Calorie Killer Circuit. There's a more detailed review here, written after my second experience doing it.
Today was my first time working out to this intensive combination of circuit and pyramid (or ladder) training. It was also a fairly warm day, and between the two I was a fiery red of face, huffing, and damp everywhere I didn't have beads of sweat actively rolling south. I also kept up, though I couldn't quite manage every pushup or sit up.
It might only have been 50 minutes but, combined with three ten minute walks I got over the hourly minimum exercise requirement and felt quite chuffed for the rest of the day.
I noticed that the calorie count for today was higher than 1,800; given that the dinners aren't identical in energy content, with the current options ranging from 317 (steak with creamy mushroom sauce) to 481 (chicken with satay sauce), and the need to offer options, I imagine it evens out to an average of 1,800 per day over the week. And since reading Winning by Losing earlier this year, I think that's probably a good thing. This is the first time I've thought about it, though, so tracking calories this week will be an interesting exercise. - Alex
Fruit: apple, dried apricots, stewed peaches, sultanas
Vegetables: broccoli, capsicum (green and red), carrots, champignons, corn, coriander, ginger, green beans, potato wedges
Energy: 1,975 calories
Fibre: 33g
Exercise: 50 minutes circuit/pyramid training DVD, 3 x 10 minutes moderate intensity walking (flat surface)
That aside, however, the first day of my week of eating and exercising optimally has gone well. The first days' food is usually pretty good, and this week was no exception - Bircher muesli and a multigrain muffin with margarine and Vegemite for breakfast, a salad topped with Thai-inspired beef strips and an apple for lunch, snacks of cheese and crackers, peach fruit cup, light fruit cake, and an Asian rice bowl (rice, chicken and vegetables).
More usefully, I tried the third of Australian Biggest Loser trainers Shannan Ponton and Michelle Bridges' work out DVDs, Calorie Killer Circuit. There's a more detailed review here, written after my second experience doing it.
Today was my first time working out to this intensive combination of circuit and pyramid (or ladder) training. It was also a fairly warm day, and between the two I was a fiery red of face, huffing, and damp everywhere I didn't have beads of sweat actively rolling south. I also kept up, though I couldn't quite manage every pushup or sit up.
It might only have been 50 minutes but, combined with three ten minute walks I got over the hourly minimum exercise requirement and felt quite chuffed for the rest of the day.
I noticed that the calorie count for today was higher than 1,800; given that the dinners aren't identical in energy content, with the current options ranging from 317 (steak with creamy mushroom sauce) to 481 (chicken with satay sauce), and the need to offer options, I imagine it evens out to an average of 1,800 per day over the week. And since reading Winning by Losing earlier this year, I think that's probably a good thing. This is the first time I've thought about it, though, so tracking calories this week will be an interesting exercise. - Alex
Fruit: apple, dried apricots, stewed peaches, sultanas
Vegetables: broccoli, capsicum (green and red), carrots, champignons, corn, coriander, ginger, green beans, potato wedges
Energy: 1,975 calories
Fibre: 33g
Exercise: 50 minutes circuit/pyramid training DVD, 3 x 10 minutes moderate intensity walking (flat surface)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Day 56/weigh in
I knew it had been a while since my last update, but didn't realise it had been just under a month. So it's been 8 weeks, and I've lost 7.7kilos from my starting weight, which is a reasonable kilos per week average (though a little disappointing for those of us accustomed to Biggest Loser numbers). It doesn't help that I've been exercising only sporadically, and being a little more liberal in my diet than I ought.
I added the breakfasts a couple of weeks ago, to give them a try, which means I now get two eskies delivered a week! There are a few variations on a theme, including a weekly eggs and bacon treat (which I've passed on, suspecting the eggs aren't free range) and a ham, cheese & tomato sandwich one morning. Generally, though, the breakfasts involve a 30g serving of cereal (which is not a lot, and makes me realise how more generous my routine Weetbix and muesli bowl was), plus a piece or two of multigrain toast, often with Vegemite but no spread, and fruit.
Today marks the beginning of a seven night stretch at work, and I'm throwing myself into the program properly, to see what I can do when I apply myself. The disadvantage of nights is that there's very little time to do much except eat, sleep and work - I leave at 8PM, start work at 9, finish sometimes between 7:30 and 8AM, and arrive home between 8 and 9.
The advantage is that a long stretch can help you stick to a regular and uninterrupted routine. This week, that means only eating the provided Lite'n'Easy food (including, sadly, their anemic tomatoes, which are at least ripening in the fruit bowl instead of loitering palely in the fridge). It also means drinking a pot of green tea when I go out for breakfast over the weekend with my mother, and having the provided fruit muesli, spreadless Vegemite toast and dried apricots when I get home.
I will also be doing between one and two hours of exercise each day, a combination of DVD workouts (bellydancing, cardiowalk, Biggest Loser and circuit programs) and walking. There's a monster hill on the way to work that's 500 steps (I'm a compulsive counter, especially when walking); I take a hundred steps a minute, and that's rough five minute climb that I'm sure counts as interval training, as indicated by my 50 breaths per minute toward the end! I cool down a little on the remaining walk in, for a total of around half an hour of walking, and ramp it up again by climbing stairs to my floor - all 168 of them. Instead of only doing this every now and again, this week I'll do the walk every night, with a potential caveat for heavy rain.
I'm also going to prioritise sleep over reading and TV, and make a more concerted effort to drink more water - a glass an hour at work, plus one on rising, one on arriving at work, one on getting home, and one just before sleeping, will total 3.5L.
Finally, I realise I haven't mentioned anywhere that I suspected I was anemic, and the week I began Lite'n'Easy I started taking an iron supplement, plus 1g of vitamin C (to aid iron absorption) every day with breakfast - I feel so much more energetic and am markedly less breathless on exertion, which I think has far more to do with this than to a sudden increase in aerobic fitness. It does certainly make me feel happier about exercising, and healthier in general, though perhaps I should have had a proper check up first. And now, on to the week of focus! - Alex
I added the breakfasts a couple of weeks ago, to give them a try, which means I now get two eskies delivered a week! There are a few variations on a theme, including a weekly eggs and bacon treat (which I've passed on, suspecting the eggs aren't free range) and a ham, cheese & tomato sandwich one morning. Generally, though, the breakfasts involve a 30g serving of cereal (which is not a lot, and makes me realise how more generous my routine Weetbix and muesli bowl was), plus a piece or two of multigrain toast, often with Vegemite but no spread, and fruit.
Today marks the beginning of a seven night stretch at work, and I'm throwing myself into the program properly, to see what I can do when I apply myself. The disadvantage of nights is that there's very little time to do much except eat, sleep and work - I leave at 8PM, start work at 9, finish sometimes between 7:30 and 8AM, and arrive home between 8 and 9.
The advantage is that a long stretch can help you stick to a regular and uninterrupted routine. This week, that means only eating the provided Lite'n'Easy food (including, sadly, their anemic tomatoes, which are at least ripening in the fruit bowl instead of loitering palely in the fridge). It also means drinking a pot of green tea when I go out for breakfast over the weekend with my mother, and having the provided fruit muesli, spreadless Vegemite toast and dried apricots when I get home.
I will also be doing between one and two hours of exercise each day, a combination of DVD workouts (bellydancing, cardiowalk, Biggest Loser and circuit programs) and walking. There's a monster hill on the way to work that's 500 steps (I'm a compulsive counter, especially when walking); I take a hundred steps a minute, and that's rough five minute climb that I'm sure counts as interval training, as indicated by my 50 breaths per minute toward the end! I cool down a little on the remaining walk in, for a total of around half an hour of walking, and ramp it up again by climbing stairs to my floor - all 168 of them. Instead of only doing this every now and again, this week I'll do the walk every night, with a potential caveat for heavy rain.
I'm also going to prioritise sleep over reading and TV, and make a more concerted effort to drink more water - a glass an hour at work, plus one on rising, one on arriving at work, one on getting home, and one just before sleeping, will total 3.5L.
Finally, I realise I haven't mentioned anywhere that I suspected I was anemic, and the week I began Lite'n'Easy I started taking an iron supplement, plus 1g of vitamin C (to aid iron absorption) every day with breakfast - I feel so much more energetic and am markedly less breathless on exertion, which I think has far more to do with this than to a sudden increase in aerobic fitness. It does certainly make me feel happier about exercising, and healthier in general, though perhaps I should have had a proper check up first. And now, on to the week of focus! - Alex
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Day 15/weigh in 2
I suspected that today would be a little tricky, if only from the standpoint of getting all the food in. It’s my first shift back on nights, which means switching from day mode. Usually I stay up until around 3AM, with maybe a snack before going to bed, sleep til around midday, have breakfast when I get up, and something to eat before I leave for work. Now I have a set amount of food to eat in each 24-hour period, I think my usual pattern will change to dinner before I go to bed, breakfast on rising, something to eat mid-afternoon, and the snacks when I get to work. This will be followed by the lunch portion overnight (around 3AM), and then dinner when I get home, which is a little more than I’m used to but will work out fine.
This afternoon, however, I had a seminar to go to, which meant dinner before going to bed, breakfast on rising (around 1PM), part one of my lunch/snacks when I got to uni and the rest when I got to work. Yes, I know – fascinating. Well, the seminar (or, strictly speaking, PhD oration) certainly was, but that’s somewhat beside the point.
Day 1 of week D is certainly delicious, and very filling - I had the snack of cheesy chicken spaghetti when I got to uni, some when I got to work (a piece of delicately seasoned roast chicken sliced over a salad and wrapped in a mayonnaise-spread wrap; and a baked vegetable patty with sweet chilli sauce) when I got to work, and dessert (stewed peaches; and a reprise of week B's apple and sultana pancake!) just before midnight.
But before all of that I weighed in - though a little disappointing after my illicit post-diarrhoea weigh in the day before (dehydration may not result in an accurate picture of progress, but it does make for a gratifying one), I've lost a further 2.1K, bringing my loss thus far to 4.4k in two weeks.
I suspect that I'm not going to manage any significant exercise over the weekend, particularly as I didn't fit it in on this least rushed on days, but beginning Monday it's back on, so I can both maintain the loss and so I can build up my fitness as I de-escalate the weight. I can't see myself ever being close to the 60k or so that is recommended by BMI calculators for my height (BMI = 22), but 75k or so (BMI = 28) sounds reasonable and achievable. And my current BMI? Is north of 40, just to give you an idea of where I'm coming from.
For the record, I think BMI is a simplistic and flawed measure of health, that doesn't take frame, ethnicity or gender into account. more importantly, the divisions between categories are purely arbitrary - there are no differences between the health outcomes of a person who's BMI is 24.9 and one whose BMI is 25.1, but one is 'healthy' and the other is 'overweight.' In many cases outcomes are better for people wtih a BMI between 30 and 34 or so. for more criticism of BMI see this article, this response to another article, this article about what's wrong with the western campaign to lose weight instead of to gain fitness, and go here to read about how changing the definitions of BMI categories massively increased the number of 'overweight' Americans overnight; for a more visual representation of the arbitrary nature of BMI check out Kate Harding's BMI Project. Despite all that, my BMI isn't an inaccurate reflection of my size. - Alex
This afternoon, however, I had a seminar to go to, which meant dinner before going to bed, breakfast on rising (around 1PM), part one of my lunch/snacks when I got to uni and the rest when I got to work. Yes, I know – fascinating. Well, the seminar (or, strictly speaking, PhD oration) certainly was, but that’s somewhat beside the point.
Day 1 of week D is certainly delicious, and very filling - I had the snack of cheesy chicken spaghetti when I got to uni, some when I got to work (a piece of delicately seasoned roast chicken sliced over a salad and wrapped in a mayonnaise-spread wrap; and a baked vegetable patty with sweet chilli sauce) when I got to work, and dessert (stewed peaches; and a reprise of week B's apple and sultana pancake!) just before midnight.
But before all of that I weighed in - though a little disappointing after my illicit post-diarrhoea weigh in the day before (dehydration may not result in an accurate picture of progress, but it does make for a gratifying one), I've lost a further 2.1K, bringing my loss thus far to 4.4k in two weeks.
I suspect that I'm not going to manage any significant exercise over the weekend, particularly as I didn't fit it in on this least rushed on days, but beginning Monday it's back on, so I can both maintain the loss and so I can build up my fitness as I de-escalate the weight. I can't see myself ever being close to the 60k or so that is recommended by BMI calculators for my height (BMI = 22), but 75k or so (BMI = 28) sounds reasonable and achievable. And my current BMI? Is north of 40, just to give you an idea of where I'm coming from.
For the record, I think BMI is a simplistic and flawed measure of health, that doesn't take frame, ethnicity or gender into account. more importantly, the divisions between categories are purely arbitrary - there are no differences between the health outcomes of a person who's BMI is 24.9 and one whose BMI is 25.1, but one is 'healthy' and the other is 'overweight.' In many cases outcomes are better for people wtih a BMI between 30 and 34 or so. for more criticism of BMI see this article, this response to another article, this article about what's wrong with the western campaign to lose weight instead of to gain fitness, and go here to read about how changing the definitions of BMI categories massively increased the number of 'overweight' Americans overnight; for a more visual representation of the arbitrary nature of BMI check out Kate Harding's BMI Project. Despite all that, my BMI isn't an inaccurate reflection of my size. - Alex
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
No Diet Diet Days 27 and 28
The thought-dimension for day 27 was emotional intelligence, defined as the ability to recognise your emotions and those of others. Identifying the particular emotion I was feeling towards people or in a situation allowed me to acknowledge my feelings and express them in an appropriate manner. Here I was encouraged to think rather than to simply act. For the first time since I commenced the no diet diet I was able to see something that might be relevant to my weight situation-gaining control of emotional eating. And while I can see the benefit in consciously controlling my emotions for one day (it shows me that it can be done and that I need not be a slave to habitual emotional response) I think it requires a lot more practice and support if I, or for that manner anyone, is to overcome emotional eating.
The thought-dimension for day 28 was social intelligence, defined as helping society in general, expressing values in a positive and practical way. I am all for supporting Fair Trade and charities, offering assistance where practical and volunteering for causes that mesh with my social values. While I can see how living a more authentic and involved way can be life enhancing I can’t really see how it relates to weight loss.
So here I come to the end of phase four and the structured section of the no diet diet. I have followed the program to the letter, changing my behaviour, challenging myself and ‘doing something different’ at every opportunity. According to the authors my reward should be a weight loss of between 2kg and 4kg. In fact, having maintained my weight of last week, at the end of the no diet diet program I have a net gain of 0.2kg or about half a pound.
The thought-dimension for day 28 was social intelligence, defined as helping society in general, expressing values in a positive and practical way. I am all for supporting Fair Trade and charities, offering assistance where practical and volunteering for causes that mesh with my social values. While I can see how living a more authentic and involved way can be life enhancing I can’t really see how it relates to weight loss.
So here I come to the end of phase four and the structured section of the no diet diet. I have followed the program to the letter, changing my behaviour, challenging myself and ‘doing something different’ at every opportunity. According to the authors my reward should be a weight loss of between 2kg and 4kg. In fact, having maintained my weight of last week, at the end of the no diet diet program I have a net gain of 0.2kg or about half a pound.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
No Diet Diet Day 21 and Weigh In
There were two ‘doing’ tasks left to choose from for day 21. I could either stand for half an hour or create something. Standing for half an hour seemed both pointless and tiring so I chose to create something. I achieved this by digging out an old craft project I’d put on indefinite hold and getting back into it. It took a bit of time to get back into the swing but it was worth the effort. I managed more than I thought I’d be able to and am quite keen to keep up the progress.
I weighed in without any great expectations, this ‘diet’ so far has not delivered on its promise to help me shed up to a kilo a week. It was a pleasant surprise to see that I have, in fact, had a loss. I have dropped a phenomenal 0.2kg. Yes, half of what I gained in the first week. So here we are three weeks into the program and I now only weigh 0.2kg more than when I started. Hoorah!
I weighed in without any great expectations, this ‘diet’ so far has not delivered on its promise to help me shed up to a kilo a week. It was a pleasant surprise to see that I have, in fact, had a loss. I have dropped a phenomenal 0.2kg. Yes, half of what I gained in the first week. So here we are three weeks into the program and I now only weigh 0.2kg more than when I started. Hoorah!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
No Diet Diet Days 11 to 14
While I have not had the opportunity to post these last few days, I have continued to follow the No Diet, Diet program. Here’s a summary of my progress.
Day 11 task: Optimise my flexibility. I consider myself to be a fairly flexible person, able to adapt to the needs of the moment without too much trouble. Therefore I accepted the challenge to be more definite-adopting a stance and taking a firm line. We have been considering a family holiday to Bali. While I would love to go, I was reluctant to upset my son’s routine. He doesn’t cope well with change and it would inevitably be me who would have to cope with him in a strange place. So I put my foot down and stated that I would not be putting him (and consequently myself) through the trauma of another international holiday. If respite care cannot be found then the trip will not go ahead. I am surprised by the ease with which this edict has been accepted.
Day 12 task: Optimise my spontaneity. Through necessity life here is extremely routine so being more spontaneous provided the greatest challenge to date. I chose to step back and let the day unfold without organising it as the most achievable option. While nothing particularly exciting happened, neither did disaster fall upon my head. Everybody here coped just fine with the fact that many of the things I would normally have taken care of didn’t get done that day and I enjoyed doing whatever took my fancy rather than what was next on the list to be done.
Day 13 task: Fine-tune my temperament. I unquestionably rate myself as one of life’s natural introverts. So my task was to behave as more of an extrovert-in particular to smile at strangers more often. I felt a little silly smiling at people on the street but soon I was getting smiles back and even the occasional nod and greeting. By the end of the day I felt more connected to my local community. I’ve been trying to keep it up but it doesn’t come naturally to me and I’ve not been consistent with it.
Day 14 task: Try being more or less conventional. I’m not entirely sure where I would sit on the conventionality scale so I took a shot and did something different to what is conventional for me. I wore make up and perfume. Though I wasn’t run down with compliments the effort was noticed and commented upon.
After last week’s weight gain I was a little nervous about this week’s weigh in. I can report that when I stepped on the scales there had been no change. I weigh exactly the same as I did last week. I am a little disappointed. I had hoped to at least lose the weight I gained last week. But on the other hand I am happy that I have not had another gain.
Perhaps week 3 will be the week it all starts to click into place and melt off my arse.
Day 11 task: Optimise my flexibility. I consider myself to be a fairly flexible person, able to adapt to the needs of the moment without too much trouble. Therefore I accepted the challenge to be more definite-adopting a stance and taking a firm line. We have been considering a family holiday to Bali. While I would love to go, I was reluctant to upset my son’s routine. He doesn’t cope well with change and it would inevitably be me who would have to cope with him in a strange place. So I put my foot down and stated that I would not be putting him (and consequently myself) through the trauma of another international holiday. If respite care cannot be found then the trip will not go ahead. I am surprised by the ease with which this edict has been accepted.
Day 12 task: Optimise my spontaneity. Through necessity life here is extremely routine so being more spontaneous provided the greatest challenge to date. I chose to step back and let the day unfold without organising it as the most achievable option. While nothing particularly exciting happened, neither did disaster fall upon my head. Everybody here coped just fine with the fact that many of the things I would normally have taken care of didn’t get done that day and I enjoyed doing whatever took my fancy rather than what was next on the list to be done.
Day 13 task: Fine-tune my temperament. I unquestionably rate myself as one of life’s natural introverts. So my task was to behave as more of an extrovert-in particular to smile at strangers more often. I felt a little silly smiling at people on the street but soon I was getting smiles back and even the occasional nod and greeting. By the end of the day I felt more connected to my local community. I’ve been trying to keep it up but it doesn’t come naturally to me and I’ve not been consistent with it.
Day 14 task: Try being more or less conventional. I’m not entirely sure where I would sit on the conventionality scale so I took a shot and did something different to what is conventional for me. I wore make up and perfume. Though I wasn’t run down with compliments the effort was noticed and commented upon.
After last week’s weight gain I was a little nervous about this week’s weigh in. I can report that when I stepped on the scales there had been no change. I weigh exactly the same as I did last week. I am a little disappointed. I had hoped to at least lose the weight I gained last week. But on the other hand I am happy that I have not had another gain.
Perhaps week 3 will be the week it all starts to click into place and melt off my arse.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Eating Whatever I Want + Weighing In
You would think that following my doctor’s dietary advice would be easy. After all, there’s no weighing, measuring, calorie counting or special foods-just eat as much as I want of whatever I feel like, whenever I’m hungry. Over the past month I’ve come to realise it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Knowing when I’m hungry has proved to be a real challenge. As has knowing when I’ve had enough. The only aspect of the plan that I’ve not had a lot of difficulty with is eating whatever I feel like-though because this is the real world that often translates to whatever appeals to me most out of what’s available in the cupboard. To be fair, I don’t keep anything in the cupboards that I wouldn’t be delighted to eat at some point, so I’m hardly denying myself with this limitation.
I surprised myself, not only with how easy I found it to follow my fancies and guiltlessly eat ‘special occasion food’ whenever, but also with my lack of desire for junk.
One of my main worries had been that given total food freedom I would eat my own body weight in chocolate pudding (or any of a hundred other fat-sugar-salt combinations that I have previously eschewed). When I raised this with my doctor he told me that maybe I would but it wasn’t something I should worry about. He suggested that after so many years of ‘deprivation’ I may very well indulge in an orgy of calories hitherto unknown and that is an important part of the process. My subconscious had to learn that there were no boundaries, if I wanted chocolate pudding I could have some, that there was no need to binge, I could always have more later if I wanted to. Eventually, he told me, my body would get tired of rubbish and I would start to want better quality food.
Needless to say, I didn’t believe him. I didn’t believe I would ever fancy the healthier, lower calorie option over the fat-laden nutritionally dubious option. Nor did I trust myself enough not to go on an endless life-long binge, conning myself with the idea that I had my doctor’s blessing to do so. This was the main reason I didn’t take his advice when he initially gave it to me. I had visions of myself laying on the beach four times my current size while the Greenpeace people tried to roll me back into the ocean.
What I’ve learned over the last month is that if I do really think about what it is I’d like to eat I end up having a fairly balanced diet. Sure sometimes it’s all about the chocolate pudding but other times I really do fancy yoghurt.
It did take a couple of weeks to come around to the idea that eating the chocolate pudding for lunch was okay. Years of sensible eating and unconsciously weighing up the nutritional qualities of different foods was not an easy habit to break. Then one morning the penny dropped. It was ‘sensible’ eating that had kept me fat all these years. I haven’t looked back.
When I weighed in this morning I was pleased to note that I hadn’t gained weight. Neither had I lost any. I am at exactly the same weight as I was at the beginning of the month. And given that this month included Easter, when I ate an entire Terry’s Chocolate Orange, and more take away/junk food than the previous six months combined, that’s not a bad result.
I still want to lose the excess kilos I’m carrying around and I feel confident that my new relationship with food will eventually see that happen.-Lynn
Knowing when I’m hungry has proved to be a real challenge. As has knowing when I’ve had enough. The only aspect of the plan that I’ve not had a lot of difficulty with is eating whatever I feel like-though because this is the real world that often translates to whatever appeals to me most out of what’s available in the cupboard. To be fair, I don’t keep anything in the cupboards that I wouldn’t be delighted to eat at some point, so I’m hardly denying myself with this limitation.
I surprised myself, not only with how easy I found it to follow my fancies and guiltlessly eat ‘special occasion food’ whenever, but also with my lack of desire for junk.
One of my main worries had been that given total food freedom I would eat my own body weight in chocolate pudding (or any of a hundred other fat-sugar-salt combinations that I have previously eschewed). When I raised this with my doctor he told me that maybe I would but it wasn’t something I should worry about. He suggested that after so many years of ‘deprivation’ I may very well indulge in an orgy of calories hitherto unknown and that is an important part of the process. My subconscious had to learn that there were no boundaries, if I wanted chocolate pudding I could have some, that there was no need to binge, I could always have more later if I wanted to. Eventually, he told me, my body would get tired of rubbish and I would start to want better quality food.
Needless to say, I didn’t believe him. I didn’t believe I would ever fancy the healthier, lower calorie option over the fat-laden nutritionally dubious option. Nor did I trust myself enough not to go on an endless life-long binge, conning myself with the idea that I had my doctor’s blessing to do so. This was the main reason I didn’t take his advice when he initially gave it to me. I had visions of myself laying on the beach four times my current size while the Greenpeace people tried to roll me back into the ocean.
What I’ve learned over the last month is that if I do really think about what it is I’d like to eat I end up having a fairly balanced diet. Sure sometimes it’s all about the chocolate pudding but other times I really do fancy yoghurt.
It did take a couple of weeks to come around to the idea that eating the chocolate pudding for lunch was okay. Years of sensible eating and unconsciously weighing up the nutritional qualities of different foods was not an easy habit to break. Then one morning the penny dropped. It was ‘sensible’ eating that had kept me fat all these years. I haven’t looked back.
When I weighed in this morning I was pleased to note that I hadn’t gained weight. Neither had I lost any. I am at exactly the same weight as I was at the beginning of the month. And given that this month included Easter, when I ate an entire Terry’s Chocolate Orange, and more take away/junk food than the previous six months combined, that’s not a bad result.
I still want to lose the excess kilos I’m carrying around and I feel confident that my new relationship with food will eventually see that happen.-Lynn
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Weigh in
I've not had the best week - I've decided not to tell my family that I've embarked on a lifestyle change, because I'm not that keen on scrutiny and support. Which meant that, between waiting to hear whether or not I was required to dogsit (not) and then hosting my mother when she was locked out of her place, I did not workout over Easter. Not only that but pretty much as soon as she'd got I was into the sweet food - as Lynn pointed out, see a connection?
I think I may have finally realised, too, that I can no longer keep chocolate at home and ration it out. I used to be able to, in the days when (like Lynn now) I ate what I felt like when I felt like it. Now it all gets nibbled away in an evening, which is what happened to the family-sized block of Coles' peppermint chocolate, which was on sale yesterday afternoon and reduced to crumbs by last night.
So I was a little surprised, albeit pleased, to find a 600g loss this morning. I do have to remind myself that a) that's the recommended rate of weight loss and b) The Biggest Loser has distorted my perception of what a good loss is.
And I do feel a little inspired to get back on the horse - today I found the three Biggest Loser (Australia) workout DVDs in a set at Rebel Sports, for only $40 when each disc is retailing for $30. I also bought a new pair of goggles, and Michelle Bridges' toning DVD so watch out for reviews over the next few days. I was a little shocked at the price of steps and kettle bells at Rebel, and will do a little shopping around, but I still intend doing the Jillian Michaels work out of ridiculousness at some, fitter, point, and am interested in the benefits of kettle bell training.
And though I haven't done a workout yet this week, I did walk home from a brief stop by work, winding along the Yarra for half an hour, inspired by the joggers and dampened by sweat. I'm afraid I'm getting less fit over time, rather than more, as the walk seemed no easier, but I suspect it was faster, and I had several kilos in my backpack. Perhaps it's time to repeat the 12WBT series, and see if there's been any improvement in my endurance, speed, strength and flexibility. Or maybe I'll leave that until I'm feeling a little more consistent - Alex
I think I may have finally realised, too, that I can no longer keep chocolate at home and ration it out. I used to be able to, in the days when (like Lynn now) I ate what I felt like when I felt like it. Now it all gets nibbled away in an evening, which is what happened to the family-sized block of Coles' peppermint chocolate, which was on sale yesterday afternoon and reduced to crumbs by last night.
So I was a little surprised, albeit pleased, to find a 600g loss this morning. I do have to remind myself that a) that's the recommended rate of weight loss and b) The Biggest Loser has distorted my perception of what a good loss is.
And I do feel a little inspired to get back on the horse - today I found the three Biggest Loser (Australia) workout DVDs in a set at Rebel Sports, for only $40 when each disc is retailing for $30. I also bought a new pair of goggles, and Michelle Bridges' toning DVD so watch out for reviews over the next few days. I was a little shocked at the price of steps and kettle bells at Rebel, and will do a little shopping around, but I still intend doing the Jillian Michaels work out of ridiculousness at some, fitter, point, and am interested in the benefits of kettle bell training.
And though I haven't done a workout yet this week, I did walk home from a brief stop by work, winding along the Yarra for half an hour, inspired by the joggers and dampened by sweat. I'm afraid I'm getting less fit over time, rather than more, as the walk seemed no easier, but I suspect it was faster, and I had several kilos in my backpack. Perhaps it's time to repeat the 12WBT series, and see if there's been any improvement in my endurance, speed, strength and flexibility. Or maybe I'll leave that until I'm feeling a little more consistent - Alex
Friday, April 2, 2010
Progress update
Today is a week since I threw myself properly into this lifestyle change. I’ve done at least an hour of exercise every day – on my rest day that was walking, on every other day it’s included a workout DVD, walking and, on Tuesday, an hour of stretch class. In the process I’ve tried several different programs, and bought a couple; most of them I’ve already reviewed, and there are a couple of reviews coming, including a workout I’m not yet close to ready for! And in the evenings, while watching TV, I do a little resistance exercise with bands – only a few reps, not for hours on end.
I’ve also made a greater effort with my diet, though not to the extent of calorie counting. The day usually starts with a mug of green or white leaf tea with a squeeze of lime juice and a handful of raisins (according to RealAge.com these increase fat burn during exercise). Breakfast has been either porridge with a couple of dates, or a couple of Weetbix with a handful (50g) of Coles’ low fat muesli, both with low-fat soy or brown rice milk as I’m trying to lower my intake of saturated fat.
I’ve had more fish than usual, partly because I found a couple of trays reduced for quick sale at Coles and partly because this month’s edition of the Healthy Food Guide reported research that demonstrated a connection between omega-3 intake and weight loss when combined with exercise (but not on its own – the exercise in question was 45 minutes of jogging three times a week, which isn’t on my plan just yet). In addition to my usual favourite (a Jamie Oliver dish that baked salmon with green beans, cherry tomatoes, anchovies and olives, which I used to hate but am trying to embrace) I’ve been experimenting with one of Michelle Bridges’ 12WBT recipes. I coat a piece of white fish with a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger pastes, a hint of chilli and a teaspoon of honey, then wrap it in foil with some spinach on top (otherwise it gets soggy) and a handful of cherry tomatoes, before baking in a hot over for about twelve minutes – quite yummy.
I’ve avoided the evil whites – rice, flour, sugar and potatoes – but really could have ramped up the vegies a bit more. I’ve also had too many snacks – the Nestlé diet desserts range may only average 100 calories each but I need to keep them as treats and snack on other things more often.
So how has this affected my results? Since my weigh in last week I’ve lost 1.3k, which is no Biggest Loser result but nothing to be ashamed of, even if I was hoping for something a little more spectacular. Though my bust measurement has inexplicably increased by 1cm since March 1st (could I have measured wrong then? It was a big drop from my January 1st bust measurement), I’ve lost 6cm from my measured-properly waist (and 4.5cm from my incorrect-measurement-at the-narrowest-part waist) and 5cm from my measured-properly hips (3cm on my incorrectly-measured hips), 7cm combined from my upper arms, and no change on my thighs.
I’m not concerned, at the moment anyway, about being able to continue on the diet part of my new regimen, and though I doubt I’ll any time soon be springing eagerly out of bed to work out I think I can keep up the exercise until I get back to work, by which time I hope it’ll be a part of my daily routine.
I’m a little concerned, though, that the workouts seem to be getting harder – this morning I did a forty minute walking DVD (review tomorrow), and planned to follow it by the Jennie Garth program for a total of 80 minutes of more vigorous exercise, with a little walking thrown in this afternoon. Instead I flaked it about half way through the second DVD, after the aerobic and leg section but before the ab workout and cool down. I was hot and sweaty and just spent. And I was a little distressed to find that despite – or possibly because of – my recent exercise I’m considerably less flexible than I was a couple of weeks ago. When I started the 12WBT I was able to reach about 6cm past my toes, but today I could barely grasp my ankles, even though I did a stretch routine only a couple of days ago. And I’m about ready to stop being quite so stiff and achy – getting up off the floor’s one thing, but sometimes I have to brace myself before getting off a bench.
I don’t think the answer is to slow down on the amount of exercise, and maybe it’s just that I expected the walking DVD to be less intense than it unexpectedly was and therefore went a little hard. Starting tomorrow I’ll start tracking calories again through Calorie King, so I have a better idea of what I’m actually eating. I’ll also look at buying a pulse monitor thing (12WBT have an offer with Polar that’s valid for another few days, I think) so I know more accurately how many calories I’m burning. I’ve already thought about buying a step bench, for a workout I hope to be able to try in May. And I’m hoping that next week’s weigh in (on Wednesday) will be at least as positive as this weeks - Alex
I’ve also made a greater effort with my diet, though not to the extent of calorie counting. The day usually starts with a mug of green or white leaf tea with a squeeze of lime juice and a handful of raisins (according to RealAge.com these increase fat burn during exercise). Breakfast has been either porridge with a couple of dates, or a couple of Weetbix with a handful (50g) of Coles’ low fat muesli, both with low-fat soy or brown rice milk as I’m trying to lower my intake of saturated fat.
I’ve had more fish than usual, partly because I found a couple of trays reduced for quick sale at Coles and partly because this month’s edition of the Healthy Food Guide reported research that demonstrated a connection between omega-3 intake and weight loss when combined with exercise (but not on its own – the exercise in question was 45 minutes of jogging three times a week, which isn’t on my plan just yet). In addition to my usual favourite (a Jamie Oliver dish that baked salmon with green beans, cherry tomatoes, anchovies and olives, which I used to hate but am trying to embrace) I’ve been experimenting with one of Michelle Bridges’ 12WBT recipes. I coat a piece of white fish with a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger pastes, a hint of chilli and a teaspoon of honey, then wrap it in foil with some spinach on top (otherwise it gets soggy) and a handful of cherry tomatoes, before baking in a hot over for about twelve minutes – quite yummy.
I’ve avoided the evil whites – rice, flour, sugar and potatoes – but really could have ramped up the vegies a bit more. I’ve also had too many snacks – the Nestlé diet desserts range may only average 100 calories each but I need to keep them as treats and snack on other things more often.
So how has this affected my results? Since my weigh in last week I’ve lost 1.3k, which is no Biggest Loser result but nothing to be ashamed of, even if I was hoping for something a little more spectacular. Though my bust measurement has inexplicably increased by 1cm since March 1st (could I have measured wrong then? It was a big drop from my January 1st bust measurement), I’ve lost 6cm from my measured-properly waist (and 4.5cm from my incorrect-measurement-at the-narrowest-part waist) and 5cm from my measured-properly hips (3cm on my incorrectly-measured hips), 7cm combined from my upper arms, and no change on my thighs.
I’m not concerned, at the moment anyway, about being able to continue on the diet part of my new regimen, and though I doubt I’ll any time soon be springing eagerly out of bed to work out I think I can keep up the exercise until I get back to work, by which time I hope it’ll be a part of my daily routine.
I’m a little concerned, though, that the workouts seem to be getting harder – this morning I did a forty minute walking DVD (review tomorrow), and planned to follow it by the Jennie Garth program for a total of 80 minutes of more vigorous exercise, with a little walking thrown in this afternoon. Instead I flaked it about half way through the second DVD, after the aerobic and leg section but before the ab workout and cool down. I was hot and sweaty and just spent. And I was a little distressed to find that despite – or possibly because of – my recent exercise I’m considerably less flexible than I was a couple of weeks ago. When I started the 12WBT I was able to reach about 6cm past my toes, but today I could barely grasp my ankles, even though I did a stretch routine only a couple of days ago. And I’m about ready to stop being quite so stiff and achy – getting up off the floor’s one thing, but sometimes I have to brace myself before getting off a bench.
I don’t think the answer is to slow down on the amount of exercise, and maybe it’s just that I expected the walking DVD to be less intense than it unexpectedly was and therefore went a little hard. Starting tomorrow I’ll start tracking calories again through Calorie King, so I have a better idea of what I’m actually eating. I’ll also look at buying a pulse monitor thing (12WBT have an offer with Polar that’s valid for another few days, I think) so I know more accurately how many calories I’m burning. I’ve already thought about buying a step bench, for a workout I hope to be able to try in May. And I’m hoping that next week’s weigh in (on Wednesday) will be at least as positive as this weeks - Alex
Thursday, April 1, 2010
First Weigh-In
I was a little apprehensive about this first weigh-in, partly because I’ve done no structured exercise for at least the last week and partly because my diet has started to heavily feature food that I would normally eschew (cake, gelato and nougat in quantity).
But I can report a loss of 0.8kg. Now I know 800 grams in 2 weeks is not a particularly startling loss by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a loss and I am quite pleased, all things considered.
If I maintain a consistent 400-500 gram loss every week that would have me almost 20kg down by the end of the year-something I would be very happy with. Having said that, I am hoping that as I become more familiar with my body’s signals, and so better able to respond to them, that the weight loss rate will increase. I am also hoping that once I get back to regular exercise it will have a positive impact as well.
I weigh in again in two weeks. In the meantime happy Easter.-Lynn
But I can report a loss of 0.8kg. Now I know 800 grams in 2 weeks is not a particularly startling loss by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a loss and I am quite pleased, all things considered.
If I maintain a consistent 400-500 gram loss every week that would have me almost 20kg down by the end of the year-something I would be very happy with. Having said that, I am hoping that as I become more familiar with my body’s signals, and so better able to respond to them, that the weight loss rate will increase. I am also hoping that once I get back to regular exercise it will have a positive impact as well.
I weigh in again in two weeks. In the meantime happy Easter.-Lynn
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Day of rest
Most programs suggest taking it easy one day a week, and today was that day – no DVDs, but I did walk at fairly high intensity for an hour. Coles had some fish on sale, so dinner was swordfish baked in foil with ginger, garlic, soy and sesame oil, topped with spinach. It’s a modification of one of Michelle’s recipes – though I’ve mostly given up on the 12WBT program, I drop in from time to time, and keep an eye on the weekly recommendations and recipes.
Part of me is disappointed that I didn’t persist with it, especially after handing over $200 for the privilege, but I’ve decided (or justified) that it was worth it for getting me going. So why aren’t I continuing on the 12WBT track? Mostly because I don’t really agree with the diet section – I think 1,200 calories is too low, the menus are repetitive, and they’re not very adaptable to one person.
This last section has often been a problem for me – what am I supposed to do with the other cabbage half/can of chickpeas/tub of light sour cream when it’s not used for the rest of the week, won’t freeze, and I’m not cooking for a partner?
I also omitted the exercise component for the first few weeks, which meant I didn’t really slide into the program as a whole, which was a little problematic. So I’ve modified some of her recipes and other ideas, and plan to pretty much follow her exercise program, with a couple of extra tweaks. For example, tomorrow I’m dong a stretch class on top of my morning workout, and any day now (I just need to find my goggles) I’ll head back to the pool for a few laps.
Lynn’s weighing in on Wednesday, and I’m weighing in on the first of the month (Thursday), so we’ll soon see how successful my modified changes are - Alex
Part of me is disappointed that I didn’t persist with it, especially after handing over $200 for the privilege, but I’ve decided (or justified) that it was worth it for getting me going. So why aren’t I continuing on the 12WBT track? Mostly because I don’t really agree with the diet section – I think 1,200 calories is too low, the menus are repetitive, and they’re not very adaptable to one person.
This last section has often been a problem for me – what am I supposed to do with the other cabbage half/can of chickpeas/tub of light sour cream when it’s not used for the rest of the week, won’t freeze, and I’m not cooking for a partner?
I also omitted the exercise component for the first few weeks, which meant I didn’t really slide into the program as a whole, which was a little problematic. So I’ve modified some of her recipes and other ideas, and plan to pretty much follow her exercise program, with a couple of extra tweaks. For example, tomorrow I’m dong a stretch class on top of my morning workout, and any day now (I just need to find my goggles) I’ll head back to the pool for a few laps.
Lynn’s weighing in on Wednesday, and I’m weighing in on the first of the month (Thursday), so we’ll soon see how successful my modified changes are - Alex
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