Lose Weight 35

jess444_2

beanielou wrote: »

The chocolate monster has got me.
Sigh.

The cake monster got me!!

Last week I thought I would follow the advice to eat 'two squares of dark chocolate' to satisfy my sweet tooth. Couldn't stop at two squares, even though I don't particularly like dark chocolate. Old habits die hard

margaretclare

Jess444, I got the book you recommended 'Escape the Diet Trap' by Dr John Briffa. It really is well worth getting hold of it and reading it.

What he advocates, based on science, is more of a 'primal' diet (although he does his best to avoid the word 'diet'!) because this is what we evolved to eat. Although science-based, most of it makes such basic common sense. So, it follows that it's low-carb. Wheats, grains etc were not developed until comparatively recently - think 10,000 years ago or so - late in our evolution. He says that Atkins was on the right lines, pity he got slated so as a 'fad diet'. As he says, how can it be a 'fad' when our species ate mainly proteins and little carbs for millennia, all the time that we were hunter-gatherers and didn't stay in one place to start farming.

His book is very easy to read - you don't have to read all the science if you don't want to - just read the 'Bottom Line' at the end of each chapter and then start halfway through the book. I've done just that and will go back and read the rest of it today. It just made so much sense to me.

When I was doing the Dukan diet, potatoes weren't allowed and I heard so much from so many people 'oh you've got to have potatoes' - well, no you haven't. I used to point out that I've been to Anglo-Saxon dinners where the food of the period was served and of course, no potatoes because they weren't introduced into these islands until the early 17th century and then, became popular because they were a cheap food for the growing industrial classes and easy to grow on marginal land like in Ireland. With an Anglo-Saxon dinner you get a meaty stew, pork and prunes maybe, with a big hunk of wholemeal bread to mop it up and use instead of a fork (they weren't invented). Dessert, native fruits like apple, with cream and honey - sugar hadn't been invented either.

Anyway, Dr Briffa is very much against potatoes at all. Also artificial sweeteners. I haven't read it all yet, but he seems to be saying that if you need sweetness, sugar is better than anything artificial.

He's also quite in favour of the 'intermittent fasting' which has been in the news recently. If you can't do that, omit one meal a day - either leave out breakfast, or leave out dinner. As to that...

Yesterday we went out to lunch with a group of friends in an old pub in the Essex countryside. I thought it would be 'Christmas' food, but it wasn't. So I chose sirloin steak, onion rings, tomato and mushroom, and salad. It was a lovely steak, and after it, I couldn't have eaten another thing. I could tell it was taking a long time to digest! We were out in the evening, carol-singing with our local church at the new Holiday Inn at the newly-developed airport. We had refreshments afterwards, coffee or tea, and I had green tea with a sugar-lump. I didn't have anything else to eat at all. We'd had lunch quite late and I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. This morning we've had eggy-onion and I didn't have any bread. Today we're having a meaty stew with spring cabbage and it will be maybe 1 - 2 pm before we get to eat it.

Will see how it goes between now and Wednesday morning, but as of this morning I weigh 68.8 kg. I haven't been down as far as that since the summer. I'm seeing someone at the end of the week about possible cosmetic surgery and I do want to get the weight under control.

Frodobaggins

jess444 wrote: »

1 hour bodypump this morning. Really didn't feel like going but managed to force myself out of bed. This exercise business is definitely much more difficult in the Winter. Why is that?

My gym appears to be closed for most of the holidays. Hopefully I can motivate myself to exercise at home. I have DVD of the 30 day shred, might give that another go.

I bought the 30 day shred DVD last year, but I'm ashamed to say its still in its wrapper!

Let me know if you give it a go as you doing it may help my motivation, and I can encourage you.

jess444_2

Glad you are finding the book useful Margaretclare. I have just finished it. I find all of the research fascinating, so would recommend reading it if you can. I think what I liked about it was although he gives guidelines to follow, he does not say you have to be really obsessional about it but rather fit it into your lifestyle.

Froddo, will keep you informed of how I get on with the 30 DS. I seem to recall that you need a set of hand weights, will have to borrow some of my DD before I can get started.

Got the timetable for the holidays from the gym today. No classes for two weeks, but the gym is open for a few hours each day during 'twixmas'. So I have downloaded this free spinning audio track to use while I am there.

Just a leisurely 10 lengths of the pool today. First time I have been to the pool on a Sunday. It was lovely and quiet but not sure whether this was because it is the run up to Christmas or if it is like that every Sunday.

Good luck with the weight loss this week everyone. Remember we have one week to lose a bit more before the temptation of mince pies and Christmas Pud is upon us.;)

margaretclare

Ooops, that should have been 67.8 kg yesterday.

We were out at a lovely occasion at a local church yesterday afternoon and afterwards smiling parishioners brought round trays with hot mulled wine and hot mince-pies. It would have been churlish to refuse so I didn't. It was really what church, Christmas and Christianity should be all about - the warmth, the welcome, the positive vibes, the friendliness.

This morning we had half a grapefruit and then grilled bacon and grilled tomato. DH had a slice of toast. I didn't. However, if I ever feel like having a slice of toast I shall have one. I shan't get to be like I was on the Dukan diet, when toast and fruit were forbidden and I began to feel really deprived and missed them.

I'll read the rest of Dr Briffa's book today.

fredsnail

jess444 wrote: »

Froddo, will keep you informed of how I get on with the 30 DS. I seem to recall that you need a set of hand weights, will have to borrow some of my DD before I can get started.

I used filled water bottles instead of weights to get started until I got the weights.

beanielou

1 off this week.

efrieze

3.8lbs off this week thanks although my scales annoyed me this morning by giving me a false weight first time and then the same different weight the next 4 times in 4 difference places. I look the latter one - it was better

leictina

Hi all, just weighed in......still at 11st 1lb so its a STS week for me.......not too bad for this time of year......good luck ti everyone trying to lose some weight

Merry christmas and a happy new year...:j

margaretclare

This morning, 67.8 kg. That's - 0.1 kg from a week ago.

I read the rest of Dr John Briffa's book and have given it to DH to read. I found it immensely illuminating. Over the last 5 or so years I've been struggling to lose weight by this or that method but, according to him, this is how the 'diet industry' is keeping us going, ensuring continued membership of slimming clubs etc and a huge market for low-fat, low-calorie, low cholesterol products, you name it.

Yesterday I ate hardly any carbs at all. I want to lose some more weight because I'm hoping to have cosmetic surgery done fairly soon and I have to be fit or the surgeon won't agree to do it. I'm seeing the anaesthetist tomorrow evening and on the questionnaire I have to take with me, height and weight, as well as all the surgery I've had in the past.

This morning we had eggy onion. Yesterday, mushrooms and fried egg for breakfast.

I'm very pleased that I have DH on my side. He doesn't bat an eyelid. Some men would! He says he used to know a guy at work who was a 'real tubby', smoked, drank and was overweight - he was warned to lose weight or die. He stopped eating bread and potatoes, nothing else, and the weight dropped off him. He didn't stop smoking and drinking though, and eventually he did die at a fairly young age! but just the bread and potatoes made a huge difference to him.