1. Buying my new weighing scales with digital readout. There's nothing quite like investing in a new gadget to affirm how serious you are about something. I have been advised to only weigh myself once a week but being impatient (and maybe because I like my new boy toy) I've been on the scales several times a day and have been disappointed to discover that like the stock market they go up as well as down. Damn!
2. When I asked people what will makes the difference when trying to lose weight a Christian friend replied "walk and water". As I have a bit of a messiah complex I thought she said "walk on water" and said the myself "if I could perform miracles I wouldn't need to try and lose weight, would I?" She of course meant drink lots of water and so I've been knocking back at least four pints a day. Who knows if it's making a difference to my weight, but I do like the feeling of being well hydrated and I've done a lot more walking too----mostly to the toilet.
3. Actually that last bit's not true as I have been outdoors every day running and walking about 25 miles in total. A lot of people are telling me that exercise makes very little difference to weight loss but whatever the impact in terms of burning calories, I find the improved sense of wellbeing and smugness makes all the difference (though not when old ladies overtake me in the park because I jog so slowly).
4. I've been trying to think of a manly physical challenge to help with weight loss. In the past I've found training to run a marathon a great way to stay in shape---and it's a lot of work. So I was delighted to discover the Art of Manliness guide on how to do more than one lousy pull-up and I've set myself the manly challenge of being able to do 10 pull ups. At the moment I can't do one so I've had to start with pull downs. For an explanation of this see my post "why women and fat men are no good at pull ups" (it's science not sexism).
5. Watching my waistline line shrink from an obese 37" to a twig-like 36"----but only when I breathe in. When I breathe out I've been an elephantine 39" all week---will this ever change??
6. Eating good food---I do enjoy cooking and eating, it's one of the reasons I'm overweight, particularly when I fall into the habit of mindless eating. This week I've enjoying taking a more mindful approach to cooking and eating though I am acutely aware that the part of me that binges is lurking in my shadow and could pounce on a packet of chocolate biscuits at any moment.
7. Watching my daughter eat seeds---or rather not eat seeds, was an unexpected highlight. Two elements of being a mindful eater have included not having sweet things in the house and making an active effort to sit down and eat with my loved ones. One mealtime my poor daughter was horrified to discover the closest thing to a pudding in the house was homemade flapjack with hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds in it. Watching her painstakingly pick every last seed out of the flapjack whilst protesting about the abject stupidity of putting seeds in there in the first place was highly entertaining.
8. Getting support is a new concept for me when it comes to weight loss. I usually keep it to myself but going public about my challenge has certainly helped keep me focussed on the goal. I've been inundated with "help", not all of it helpful and that in itself has been an enjoyable learning process. On Thursday I wrote about the crazy things that happen when men ask for help.
9. My favourite tip of the week---despite complaining that the NHS thinks weight loss is for women---came from the NHS weight loss guide. I first read this tip in a Paul McKenna book a few years ago and it's this: "eat slowly, it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you're full." It's great to have a bit of neuro science in my diet.
10. Losing weight is the ultimate goal and when I stood on my new scales (again) this morning I discovered I lost 1 lb (0.45kg) this week. In the past that would have occurred as a failure and could have been enough for me to give up. But one of the benefits of reaching out for help is that I've heard from several sources than 1 to 2 lbs a week is a sensible and sustainable amount to lose. So I've dealt with the disappointment that comes from my own high expectations and I'm going to celebrate my success (but not with a cake).
Thanks to everyone who's followed this journey so far, you've all made a difference by helping me keep my eye on the prize.
DAY SEVEN NOTES
WEIGHT: 14 stone 9lb (healthy range 9 stone 7lb to 12 stone 12lb)
WEIGHT: 14 stone 9lb (healthy range 9 stone 7lb to 12 stone 12lb)
WAIST: 36-39 inches/94-99 cms (depends if I'm breathing in or out)
BMI: 28.7 (healthy range 18.5 to 25)
ACTION: Ran and walked 3 miles, drank lots of water, stayed off the biscuits,
snacked on fruit and a homemade seedy flapjack.
Tomorrow: How my masculinity stops me losing weight
Yesterday: Losing the will to lose weight
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