Tips to help with Weight Loss

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: The Road may be bumpy, but stay committed to the process!

We’ve all been there, we’ve braved the scales, we’ve crawled off in self disgust and decided with steely determination that this time, this time right now, will be the time we will change our lives for good.

And it’s hard in that moment to think we will run out of motivation, and we’ll discover will power just isn’t enough. And before we know it, we say to ourselves, ‘I’ve been really good this week, surely this cake, or that pack of crisps, or in my case, that FULL pack of biscuits or full chippy supper won’t do any harm, just this once!’ and we fool ourselves with, ‘I’ll start again tomorrow’ and go on to eat those things. And tomorrow never comes.

OR

We’ve been doing fabulously well, we jump excitedly on the scales, and then could cry – ‘how?’ we ask ourselves, our minds goes crazy wondering what we’ve possibly done to deserve this unfair number flashing back at us.

So, here are a few tips to help us on our journey:

Find a regime you will be happy with

There’s absolutely no point in choosing a plan you are going to be bored with or sick off. For me, I couldn’t do a regime where a food group is removed – I personally don’t think they’re the best way forward, and I would constantly miss the thing I wasn’t allowed. Neither could I do a meal replacement plan with shakes or the like – I need the feel of food! Here’s a link for a review on some diet plans: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/top-diets-review/

Don’t worry if the scales don’t match your efforts

It’s so disheartening when the scales don’t move, or go up, when you’ve dieted well, but don’t let it ruin things for you – our bodies are a living, breathing organism, with loads of chemical and biological actions going on. Think about the weight loss you’ve worked hard for up to that point, including the bad week, is it still an overall loss? if so, then you’re doing everything right. Keep on the ball, battle through, the results will start showing again.

Don’t berate yourself if you’ve slipped

For instance my day yesterday – it wasn’t a good day. What good does it do for our self belief and self confidence if we beat ourselves up over this, we are human, there could be plenty of other people just waiting to have a pop at us, we sure as hell don’t need to do it to ourselves! Draw a line under the day/days, we can’t change it, all we can do is change the future. And as per the previous paragraph – think of the overall weight loss you’ve already achieved so far, and give yourself a clap on the back.

If you’re constantly ‘falling off the wagon?’…

Maybe you’re on the wrong kind of regime, have a rethink about your choice, if you still believe it’s the best for you, see if there is anyway you can give yourself a ‘naughty’ treat, maybe that will help keep you on track.

Keep a food diary

I know, I know – it’s sooooo boring! but I have found in the past that if I use this as a tool to help me understand what my intake actually is, it really can differ to what I believe I’ve taken in. Remember to include your drinks – even if it’s water!

Preparation

For me this is the biggest and most important thing! I try to prepare my lunches on a Sunday – that way I have a few days worth of salad and eggs ready to take from fridge to work. And to try and combat the evening meals I used to have a clear plan of each meal for each night, along with recipe instructions if it was a new recipe, this way there was no excuse for me to think ‘don’t know what to do…. TAKEAWAY!’

If you’re not a natural kitchen dweller?…

Be brave! start searching online for recipes – there’s thousands, probably millions! Sometimes there can be a whole load of ingredients, and that alone will scare you off the recipe, don’t be fooled – the instructions are usually easy! Explore, experiment, enjoy! Here’s a dedicated food site I’ve used in the past – specifically catered (excuse the pun :D) towards healthy food: http://www.slimmingeats.com/blog/

Support!

A nod here to Slimming World – I have used them in the past but circumstance meant I was no longer able to attend – friendly groups for men and women – lots of good advise, lots of friendly banter – never, ever made to feel crappy!

But if groups aren’t you’re thing, look for support from loved ones or friends, you are probably not the only person you know trying to shift the poundage – why do this journey in isolation when it’s much more fun and confidence building doing it with someone, and gives you each other perspectives.

Also, it can be really hard if you’re not getting support from those closest to you, sometimes it can feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle, here is where you must learn to put your needs first, find someone who you can trust to vent to, but keep you in mind at all times, you first, you first, you first…

Small steps

I know, I need to lose around 80lb, this will just get me into the healthy weight range, and I could think to myself ‘if I lose 1.5lb each week, i’ll be close to my goal by this time next year!’ This isn’t really practical – a year is a long time and 80lbs is a lot of weight, instead think to yourself, ‘Ok, I do have a lot to lose, but I’m going to aim to lose 12lbs in the next two months.’ – that’s much more doable, and not such a scary prospect. You might lose more, you might lose less, but realistically all that matters is that you do lose.

Only 1lb you say?

There is no such thing as ‘only 1lb’ If you’ve lost 3lb or 1lb celebrate! And if you don’t believe me, walk yourself round to a shop, go to the meat section, pick up a couple of 8oz steaks, look at them, balance them in your hands, and think to yourself – yep! I’m actually really pleased with 1lb or pure lard no longer in my body! BTW – it’s recommended that we aim to lose between 1 and 2 lbs per week for healthy weight loss.

Hour by Hour, Day by Day

On the days where it all just seems too much, take each hour as it comes, if you’ve stuck to your plan after hour 1, give yourself a clap on the back, the same after hour 2, keep going, you can do it. Let those hours roll into days, keep doing it, don’t cheat yourself, keep in mind the dress/trousers you want to be able to wear, or the number you want to see on the scales.

Remember – you are doing something amazing

By starting and continuing with your journey you are doing something incredible for all aspects of you – your confidence, your health, your mental health. You may be doing it for the first time, or the umpteenth time, doesn’t matter, you have this within your grasp, your power to change, there isn’t a single person stronger than you when it comes to your own willingness for your own sake – Whether it’s 7lb or 170lb, you have the ability to make this happen, Believe in yourself, take courage, get ready for it and go with the flow!

You are going to be BANGING it this time!

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: The Road may be bumpy, but stay committed to the process!

13th Aug 2019 – Positive head back on!

Good morning, good morning, good morning. Feeling in a much better frame of mind this morning 🙂

I have drawn a line under yesterday, there was another packet of crisps and no exercise last night, I knew what I was doing, I knew I would regret it. But there really is no point in beating myself up about it now, what’s done is done, onwards and upwards!

My salads are prepared for most of the week, my eggs are hard boiled for all the week, i have some new recipes i’m hoping to try out this week, so all in all, I’m feeling positive and good to go again.

I’ll write my daily log tonight 🙂

12th Aug 2019 – today is a struggle

I feel worn out, cold and was actually hungry for the first time in weeks this afternoon.

This could be for any number or combination of reasons, the hour I simply couldn’t drop back off to sleep last night around 3ish, the hectic weekend, coming up to that time of the month, or my lack of usual food today.

Oh, and my coccyx is really quite sore today.

I had my nuts, and about two handfuls of grapes, left over pasta from yesterday (which may have had half a portion of veg, but I doubt it), and as I was hungry and quite food needy, a pack of oven baked crisps. This evening, after shopping we had rice mix of a quick cook packet and left over from yesterday) and salmon.

This felt like quick comfort food today 😋

I’m feeling a little better now, especially as I have now prepared my salads and boiled up my eggs, but I wouldn’t be able to resist chocolate if it was in the house 🤣

I’m not going to do any exercises tonight, I’ll kick myself tomorrow, but right now, I just need inane tv and a blanket, maybe even a snuggle on the sofa.

Goodnight

Fruit and Veg – our 5 a Day!

There are two groups of people in this world, those that love veggies and fruit, and those that don’t. But the one fact that remains is we all need them!

Obviously, fruit and veg can’t solve all our problems, I’m an occassional drinker and a very regular smoker, and being obese doesn’t do my poor organs and joints any good either. BUT fruit and veg are vitally important, and we really do need to try and help ourselves by munching away on them.

The World Health Organisation recommends we eat a total of 400g of fruit and veg a day and to vary our choice as much as possible.

Notes from WHO:

Facts

  • Approximately 1.7 million (2.8%) of deaths worldwide are attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption.
  • Low fruit and vegetable intake is among the top 10 selected risk factors for global mortality.
  • Worldwide, insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables is estimated to cause around 14% of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, about 11% of ischaemic heart disease deaths and about 9% of stroke deaths.

The WHO report goes on to say: Moreover, eating a variety of vegetables and fruits clearly ensures an adequate intake of most micronutrients, dietary fibres and a host of essential non-nutrient substances.

Below is the the link for this report: takes a few moments to browse, and there are further indepth links as well if your interest is further piqued.

https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/

Some of the good things fruit and veg contain are:

  • Vitamin C – healthy body tissue maintenance
  • Vitamin A – normal vision, skin and immune system maintenance
  • Folate – important for normal and healthy blood formation
  • Fibre – helps to maintain healthy gut
  • Potassium – helps maintain healthy blood presure and important for normal function of nervous system

And that’s just to start! There’s vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, folic acid, calcium, iron, vitamin D…. This list goes on and on!

Here’s a link for the British Nutrition Foundation, lots of fabulous information and tips: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/healthydiet/fruit-and-vegetables.html?start=3

Here’s another link which tells you what the vitamins do in a nice easy way: https://healthfully.com/362880-functions-and-sources-of-vitamins-and-minerals.html

So, surely just have a loads of fruit juice every day, then we won’t need to eat the fruit and veg? Nope – recommendation is for us to have no more than 150ml of unsweetened fruit juice a day (anything more is not counted towards your 5 a day), remember that lots of good stuff such as fibre gets taken out of the fruit juice – and there’s A LOT of sugar in them! – think how many oranges you would have to squeeze to get a glass of juice, then think of all the sugar in those oranges! nah, I think it’s better just to have an orange or two 🙂

Well, as my partner used to say, spuds are a veg – i have crisps, chips, i must be getting my five a day! Sorry my love, no, they are good for us, as with most things, in moderation, but potatoes count as starch, not the veggie bit of your meal.

What about all the pulses I now eat every day? I have aproximately 80g on my weekday salads – i know this because 1 drained tin goes into 3 salads. Well, that’s quite lucky, because any more than 80g wouldn’t count towards any more of my daily 5 a day, because they are a fab source of fibre, but don’t contain as many nutrients as other fruit and veg.

My poor mum used to have an issue with dieting, she’s a grazer, so would graze happily and regularly on fruit (she loves her fruit), until she realised that the fruit holds loads of sugar, natural sugar yes, but still loads of sugar. Luckily my mum isn’t diabetic! Of course, when we start having these kinds of conversations, you think to yourself ‘well obviously fruit has loads of sugar, why didn’t that occur to me before’! – so, beware the fruit – eat away, but do think about the sugars, remember you can snack out on veggies as well!

So what counts:

Here’s a note from the NHS website:

Different types of fruit and veg

Fruit and vegetables don’t have to be fresh to count as a portion. Nor do they have to be eaten on their own: they also count if they’re part of a meal or dish.

These all also count towards your 5 A Day:

  • Frozen fruit and vegetables.
  • Tinned or canned fruit and vegetables. Buy ones tinned in natural juice or water, with no added sugar or salt.
  • Fruit and vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta.
  • A 30g portion of dried fruit, such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs, counts as 1 of your 5 A Day, but should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce the impact on teeth. 

LOVE NHS – here’s the link: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day-what-counts/

So, onwards and upwards, lets help our bodies where we can, I can’t give up the fags – yet, but I can eat healthy – I’ll stick to my weekday salad – that on it’s own has 3 portions of fruit and veg in it. I’ll stick to my grapes, cherries or bananas for at least one more daytime portion of fruit, then I’ll keep making sure I have at least one portion with my dinner (as you know, i love my sprouts – and can happily munch my way through more than 1 portion, which is about 8 sprouts), and if i still don’t manage it – well – i could always have fat free yoghurt – vanilla of course – with frozen strawberries – left to defrost in the fridge!

But I think the difficult thing for me will be the variety – so in all seriousness, I will try to swap about the fruits I buy from now on, and look at my evening veggies – maybe even look into making some nice soups.

But the salad stays! NO WAY am i changing that – right now I love it waaaaay too much!

11th Aug 2019 – wonderful weekend, fairly healthy food.

Ok, confession first! There was a handful of chippy chips and half a spring roll, yes bad, BUT it was just a handful of chips, and it was just a half a spring roll! So yes bad, bad, bad… but it was better than what I would have had, I would have eaten to excess and had loads more chips with bread and butter and as much battered fish as possible!

Confession over, let’s get to today. Once monsters had eaten, and had been forced into bathroom for the apparently nasty morning wash, we, as in us two adults, had five bean baked beans on toast. Didn’t enjoy it so much today, I think it should be limited to once at weekend and mushrooms on the other day.

And lunch, really pleased! Salad, healthy spuds, brown rice and pasta, beef, healthy homemade quiche, beef, natural nuts – nothing salted/roasted, oven baked crisps, veggie sausages, wholemeal rolls (spread with olive spread) those are the healthy/healthier things, then a small bowl of cheesy bites, one small Bakewell tart and 12 cupcakes – there were a fair few family members round, wasn’t just a couple.

Here’s the link to crustless bacon and mushroom quiche- very easy, very tasty! http://bestslimmingworld.com/bacon-and-mushroom-crustless-quiche/

And now the other has taken monsters home, oldest niece has gone home, daughter has gone home, in laws have gone home, I’ve tidied our home back to normality, and am now relaxing with a Pepsi max as I write this blog. Although I still have half a glass of wine on the table 🤣 I’ll probably throw it away in a bit… probably!

Exercise, hmmmm, well older monster wanted to play steps, so I have done one lot of the step routine. It’s very disconcerting when an eight year old says she’s worn out by the playing the step game and then demanding to play it again! The other half did a session with her, and then she did them on her own 🤣😂🤣

I’m counting all the cooking and cleaning as exercise, without even a thought of guilt!

Anyway, here’s hoping to a nice quiet evening and an early night!

Goodbye fair folk!

10th Aug 2019 – We have monsters! And I have lost weight again- YIPPEE

Writing this now before being emersed in aunty duties!

The exciting news is that I have lost another 2 lb this week- WOOHOO!! I know I should be weighing myself tomorrow, but I’m not gonna get a chance as we’ll be preparing for houseful of family. Can’t wait to see everyone 😊

Started healthily with five bean baked beans on toast, and had lemon squash instead of sugared tea when squeezing in a friend visit. I’m really loving these hienz 5 bean baked beans 😋

Not a pretty pic I’m afraid, I almost forgot to take a pic!

I did slip, monsters had a MacDonald and I had a quarter pounder.

Haven’t even thought about dinner yet, not even sure what I’ll be able to rustle up! I have a feeling I might be confessing tonight or tomorrow!

We’ve forewarned the family that we’re going healthy tomorrow for dinner, some of which I and older monster will be preparing soon – wish me luck 🤣

Bye for now.

9th Aug 2019 – FAB day! Healthyish dinner, healthy day food, good exercise session

Yes, boringly my day food stays the same, and I’m getting used to my tea with less sweetness – MAJOR improvement for me 👍

As per previous post, I have done both step and strength exercises. We bought dumbbells so I used those, I can definitely notice the difference on weight, a part of me feels the food cans are more than sufficient!

And we’re just waiting for dinner to go down, then we’re going for a walk. It’s a bit miserable out there, but I am looking forward to getting out in the fresh air, and just chatting to the better half 😊

And as for dinner, lightly dusted basa fish, with potatoes, frozen sprouts and baby corn. I made sure I prepared less potatoes this time in an effort to control portion size, but I think I over compensated with veggies. Anyway, I left a bit of fish and potatoes, but could have, and maybe should have, left more.

To much food for one meal? Not enough? Feel free to let me know your thoughts 😊

BTW, we’ve totally fallen for the spuds, easy to prep and tasty! Cut potatoes to rough 1inch size, pop in bowl with 1 tbsp Olive oil, good squirt of garlic puree, a good couple of tbsp of your favourite dried herbs, mix all together so spuds well coated, chuck on a tray and then into oven 180 fan, half hour later – cooked and scrumptious! Now, they’re not chippy chips, but they are sooooo tasty, and a shed load more healthy!

Anyway, nearly time for some quality time with the other…. bye for now.

Exercise – a quick update

If you follow me you’ll know I’ve been either right on my exercise, or right off!

So just as a clap on my own back – I’ve come home to work for the afternoon, and before logging on I made sure I did both my youtube exercise regimes!

And what I wanted to share (apart from my smugness :)) is that i am beginning to find i can push myself more on the exercises, still knackering, but so good to actually realise a little bit of fitness is hijacking my body – YAY!!!!

And as for the planking, yes, this is the worst bit, but i managed to do each 30 second stint without any grunting! and on the first two sections (this regime is a 3x 5 mins section) I managed to get straight up, rather than collapsing on the floor into a jellified mess!

So pleased – to me this is tangible proof that my body is responding to the the exercises. Hopefully go for a walk later 🙂

Bye for now.

8th Aug 2019 – oops! Healthy day until this evening

The day was good, really, I promise! Normal daily food, though no fruit today. Only one cup of tea.

I blame my family 🤣

This evening was family night, and the girls had asked for pizza. Now I had good intentions, so I gave them wholewheat flour with all the other bits to make the dough, I knew it wasn’t going to be an ultra healthy meal, but it was supposed to be “healthier”! Salami and LOADS of cheese! I did have good stuff too, mushrooms, onion, pineapple (and yes pineapple DOES belong on pizza!) and sweet corn.

I was going to have a smaller pizza and salad, well I’ll leave you to decide if I can call it small 🤔

Mine is the one at the bottom of the pic! The salad is back in the fridge!

And, sigh, then there’s the exercise element of the day. Hmmmm… knowing it’s family night, I did three 10 minute fast walks up and down the office, I doubt I’m going to do any other exercise tonight. The girls are currently getting cosy on my sofa!!! 🤣

And to top it off, I need to throw this pair of socks away!

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