Weight loss - how to get your 5 a day in one hit

OK - I'm being sneaky and tricked you here by showing very tempting picture of how to get one of your five a day but seriously, I have a way you can get all five in one go. 

This is going to sound unreal but I don't like eating fruit. 

Am I alone in feeling this way? 

For years my mother, God bless her, tried to make sure I got my five a day. The best route she discovered, was to make fruit dessert and lay a slab of ice cream on top. It worked but it wasn't the solution for everyday fruit consumption. 

Fruit introduced individually, say in a lunchbox just got ignored and grew old until it was eventually placed in the bin. Either that or swapped for a packet of crisps with another kid. As the years passed my sweet tooth got worse and when I lived on my own for a while I didn't bother with buying fruit as it went off so fast. If I wanted any I'd buy frozen fruit and defrost as I needed it.

Decades later I am finally facing up to the damage a fruitless life has caused to an OK body and I'm trying to eat right. 

OK - the tip I offer today is to get your five a day in one hit and first thing in the morning. 

Here is my solution - stick with me to the end on this one, OK?

Step one: place porridge and water in a glass jug and set for say 3 minutes 30 seconds in the microwave

Step two: gather your fruit and while the porridge is in the microwave prepare your fruit, slicing it up into small pieces of easy eatable sizes.

Step 3: when the porridge is cooked add the prepared fruit to it and pour a generous portion of honey into the bowl, say a dessertspoonful.

Step 4: sprinkle a generous helping of cinnamon on top of the contents of the jug and mix the lot thoroughly. This has the effect of speeding up the cooling.

For fruit, I have included:  a sliced banana, apple, orange (no pips), a pear and 4 dried prunes, 

The dried prunes are important for clearing your intestines of any bits of food that may cling to their sides as the food works its way through your body. Click here to read about more benefits of dried prunes.

This is a filling meal and a good way to start your day. It should leave you feeling full until noon and delivers the five a day that your body needs. Honey contains natural sugar but its presence enables me to eat much more fruit than if it wasn't mixed in.

Cinnamon is very good for you - click here to find out more on its health benefits

Biggest tip for weight loss - start with the shopping

 If you are finding losing weight an issue the best tip I ever got was:

If it's not in the house you can't eat it!

So losing weight is about making sensible decisions from the moment you step into the supermarket and start your shopping. Try to shop without including treats in the trolley if you are starting the weight loss program. 

Treats will only lengthen the diet process and initially if you want to see results then don't buy them. 

Swop from high calorie to low calorie or cut the items off the list entirely. 

If you can't live without bread then go for low-calorie brown bread in preference to high-calorie white.  

If you are buying yoghurts switch to low calorie rather than full-fat

Swop the full-fat cheddar for low-fat cheese triangles and try and make the triangle spread onto two crackers or bread slices. Add a salad or tomatoes to make up for the lack of cheese.

Don't buy at all:

Juices Orange, apple, any kind of fruit. All contain natural sugar and /or sweeteners. 

Flavoured drinks full stop - zero, none 

Treats - worth repeating - nothing - be hard on yourself because no one else cares enough to be. You are an adult. Take responsibility for your body. Cut out the treats. If they aren't bought then at 10:00 pm this evening you cannot weaken and find them hidden in the kitchen waiting to be eaten.

Finally - can I plant a thought? Limit your shopping to one shop and once a week? The less visits to temptation the better. It will save you money which you can spend after you have dropped the pounds!

Losing weight safely - news six months on

 It's been six months since I started this blog. It was created to help me, as much as anyone else, to lose weight and keep it off. Its been a battle I have been fighting for many years now but as I got older and less active the weight proved harder to shift. 

January - I am 65 years old and started the year at 167 pounds and through a mixture of exercise and change in eating I reached 163 pounds by the end of January. With a height of 5 foot 5 inches, my BMI was 27.2 which is above the healthy BMI reading of 25. To get there I would need to lose 18 pounds. Try it yourself with the link here

February - saw me hold that loss but not increase it. I was still eating my way through some the Christmas high-calorie treats that were still in the house. The meal portion sizes were still too large and I come from a family where food was precious and I still clear my plate at every sitting.

March - I visited my doctor and he wasn't pleased with my 5.2 high cholesterol level. I promised I'd eat more nuts and lose more weight. By the end of the month, I was 162 pounds, just down a pound.

April -  We are emerging from winter and Spring weather gets me outdoors more. I'm running 5k about twice a week and by month-end, I've dropped two more pounds and am I60 pounds.

May - is a very good month as I get my first vaccination - AZ and now walk the roads and the local beaches with our dog. I end the month on 159 pounds down one more pound.

June - the weather is great, I'm cutting grass and throwing it over the fence to the waiting herd of cows. I'm de-weeding the flower beds, I'm playing a little tennis and yes running. I reach the 30th of June and step on the scales. I'm 156 pounds 

July - the weight loss continues through a mixture of smaller portions, exercise and daily weighing. Right now I'm 155 pounds and flirting with 153 pounds. That's 12 pounds gone in six months

I hope this motivates you to change ways and lose weight safely by:

•  cutting down the number of treats, 
• eating smaller portions, 
• weighing in daily and 
• exercise more, walk, run or swim

Happy life - on we go!!

Losing weight in 2021 in fact anytime!

When is a good time of the year to start the exercise of shifting those surplus pounds? I started in January because of the Christmas over-eating but you can start whenever you are ready to make losing weight important to you. It has to be one of your top three things to do and if it's not then stop reading now. 

Losing weight is about retaking control of your body and you need to steel yourself and want to do it or it just won't happen. Set yourself small realistic targets to aim for and start every day as a fresh starting point. Forget about yesterday and the way you were so good until gone 9:00 pm when the other half returned from the kitchen with a top-up for your wine glass and a wooden board with dried biscuits and slices of cheddar for sharing. These things happen so just get over it.

Here is my approach and it could be yours if you think it just might work for you. Today lies before you and you can make a new start today. 

Weigh-in - before you do anything please stand on the weighing scales naked and after your shower and breakfast. or before whatever works for you. Write down the weight. You will do this daily and follow the same approach every day. Having a consistent approach eliminates false gains and losses.

Breakfast should be healthy and full of protein and good fat that releases slowly over the following hours. My breakfast, for example, is porridge in water microwaved for 3:30 minutes. Then I add four soft pitted prunes, a sliced apple, a mandarin orange, half a banana,  a spoonful of wheat germ and a generous of spoonful honey. 

Not only am I eating a filling breakfast that will stop me nibbling for three hours but the prunes are known to clear your intestine lining of any clinging and possibly cancerous material than could develop into growths. 

The wheat germ has It's a great source of vegetable proteins, along with fibre and healthy fats. It's also a good source of magnesium, zinc, thiamin, folate, potassium, and phosphorus. Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, an essential nutrient with antioxidant properties and is also good for your digestive tracts.

The fruit of banana, apples and mandarin oranges are also renowned for the vitamins they include and eating them this way gets many of your five-a-day inside you even if, like me, you don't really like fruit. 

Walk or run and if walking take some sliced fruit with you. I tend to walk three to five kilometres a day. It varies according to the weather and I do vary the routes and I take the dog too! I uses  a Garmin watch to track my walks but you could just use a free version of Strava on your mobile phone. They have a paid version but I have never felt the need to upgrade. Here is a link to compare the two if you are interested.

Walk at a comfortable pace but you could walk fast for twenty seconds and then ease off again. This short high-intensity burst does burn calories for quite a while after you have eased back to a normal pace and doing it three times a week I have read is beneficial. Obviously check with your doctor if you intend to do something out of the ordinary for you. 

Your calorie intake during the day is obviously an important factor with weight as is the timing of the intake. Try to eat your main meal during the day and cut out any eating after 9:00 pm at night. 

I am not a dietician and there are plenty out there so I won't pretend any great knowledge of food but small plates and small portion sizes are best. Eat regularly throughout the daytime and at least a third of the plate should be green. Cut down on the bread intake. Replace it with vegetables in a hot meal or crispbread if a cold meal. 

Getting your 6-8 hours of sleep is important and deep sleep is best. Most smartwatches will and mobile phones let you know how you are doing. 

Weigh in at the agreed point in the morning set out above and write down your new weight. Whichever way the numbers go cast your mind back and see if you can identify the main cause. Maybe you gave in to a late-night feast or maybe you walked further than normal. Whatever the reason at least you are on the case and because you know you can adjust today's calorie intake and burn accordingly. If you are happy and the numbers are going in the right direction just keep doing what you are doing. 

I am primarily writing this blog for myself and the very act of posting is keeping me on the course to lose 12 pounds as I couldn't in all honesty write this if I was piling on the weight. This method of (1) daily noting my weight, (2) keeping  no real treats in the house and (3) not eating after 9:00 pm is working for me and could for you.

Happy weight loss and I'll post again closer to the month-end unless there is something more want to know. You can reach me via markrice10@gmail.com

#weight loss motivation, #weight scales, #weight loss 2021,

Weight Loss Diary - Ups & downs of January 2021 & tips for you

I have posted earlier 2021 ten tips that can help you lose weight and I  list them below if you want a refresh. Often online people give advice but fail to publish how their approach is working for them.  Below is the true results for me from my weight diary and as you can see weight goes up and down daily but overall my weight sneaks downwards. (see column Cum Weight gain (loss) below.

I'm posting this just to show you what actually happens if you just increase your calorie burn a little and reduce your meal portions a little. I also altered my snacking from chocolate biscuits to apples and mandarins. Nothing else has been changed. My opening weight of 167 pounds gives a BMI value of 28 which is considered "overweight." To be considered "normal" per BMI calculator I'd have to be 149 pounds but that to me is a step too far. I look gaunt at 149. I'm happy with 155 pounds so my target of a loss of 12.

I started this month of January having gradually added a pound every other day in December to my weight. I'd over-indulged whilst sat on the couch watching hours of television. Christmas day itself wasn't that bad but it was just a cumulative build-up of bad eating over the month. We'd also stocked up for Christmas and had more alcohol and bad food in the house and ring-fenced for Christmas that suddenly became available. I did resist buying a Christmas cake and a pudding as from past experience I knew I would have to eat it and last year it was April before the last morsel was gone.

Conclusion: A slow but steady approach to losing weight works. Tweak your calorie intake and up your calorie burn rate. Small changes deliver big gains. 

Motivate yourself by rewards that matter to you, for example, get back into those jeans you love,  improve your chance of beating Covid by weighing normal, get back to exercising, be able to buy new clothes in sizes you want to be, just because losing weight is good for your mindfulness. 

10 Golden Steps to weight loss that work 

1. Clear out all junk food

2. Weigh yourself

3. Find a diet buddy

4. Sit down for meals

5. Get active

6. Smaller portions

7. Use Post-it notes

8. Eat slowly, savour food

9. Prioritise sleep

10. Reward yourself

How to look after yourself if you catch the virus

I don’t normally publish anything that I haven’t written but this article in the Irish Times has some very useful practical tips that you and I can do in dealing with the virus if it comes to call. Tips in the article are sourced from reliable medical sources so worth a read and then save it for when that day comes. I publish the core advice below and a link to the full article at the end.

DR SANDHYA RAMANATHAN IS AN AUCKLAND-BASED GP WHO PUBLISHED AN 18-MINUTE YOUTUBE VIDEO GUIDE TO MANAGING MILD CASES OF COVID-19 – HER ADVICE:

The first – priming – is straightforward and relevant to both people with and without Covid-19. To build up our immunity, she encourages people to eat healthy whole foods and keep hydrated. She highlights the importance of sleep and the need to stay calm and keep a positive mindset. She also says people should take daily immune supplements including zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D. All of these can help boost immunity, and a number of studies have suggested vitamin D can reduce the effects of Covid-19.

The second section focuses on reducing the amount of virus in the nose – or the “viral load” for those who have Covid-19. For this she advises people to use saline gargles, with a couple of drops of an antiseptic solution twice daily, combined with saline nasal sprays. She offers a recipe for a home-made nasal rinse: 250ml cooled boiled water, half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, half a teaspoon of salt and a few drops of antiseptic liquid.

Ramanathan recommends steam inhalation with Vicks, especially for people who have lost their sense of smell, and use of a nasal decongestant such as Otrivine nasal spray, and antihistamine tablets.

The third section of Ramanathan’s guide outlines steps people with the disease can take to protect their lungs. People with respiratory illnesses including Covid-19 are at risk of “hypoxia” or low levels of oxygen saturation in the blood. It became clear in the early stages of the crisis that many people were unaware their oxygen levels were dipping until it was almost too late.

She encourages people to invest in an pulse oximeter, an easy-to-use and relatively cheap device that measures oxygen levels in the blood. It is important such devices are bought from reliable sources and meet all EU safety standards and are for medical use.

Ramanathan says oxygen saturation levels should be managed daily for the first 14 days of the illness. A normal range is 95-100 per cent. Medical intervention is needed if it drops below 93 per cent, she says, or if people develop shortness of breath.

Ramanathan puts a huge emphasis on breathing techniques to keep airways open and outlines a range of breathing exercises. She suggests that the simple act of blowing up a balloon while seated creates positive end-expiratory pressure similar to that created in mechanical ventilation, while blowing bubbles through a straw into a glass can also be helpful. This technique is not a substitute for a ventilator – a crucial treatment for serious cases.

A practice known as proning, or sleeping on the stomach, can help avoid the collapse of air spaces at the base of the lungs. Ramanathan says the trick with proning is to position pillows along the torso and up to the head rather than just under the head.

She recommends box breathing, which sees people breathe out for three seconds, then hold for three seconds followed by a second three-second inhale and a second hold for three seconds. Ramanathan says the key is to focus on complete exhalation to empty the lungs. This will produce a deep inhalation reflex, optimising oxygen intake.

“I am a GP but I never appreciated the important of exhalation,” she says. “When you focus on breathing out, the inhalation is a reflex.”

She stresses that her advice is evidence-based and won’t cause harm. She repeats that her management system is neither a cure nor a treatment for Covid-19 but a way to give people an edge in the fight against the disease.

“What frustrates me is no one is telling anyone anything. If you look on the WHO site on the Centre for Disease Control site, where are the instructions for home management of Covid? Why aren’t people being told to buy a pulse oximeter or take vitamin D?

“Around 80 per cent of the cases are managed in the home, and all we are being told is take paracetamol and maybe eat soft foods. It is the same in every country and it makes me furious.”

There is, as she says, science behind her plan.

A study at Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown has pointed to lower vitamin D levels in Covid-19 patients admitted to its intensive care unit, while another from Germany found that hospitalised Covid-19 patients had lower vitamin D levels than less sick Covid-19 outpatients and in-patients with a vitamin D deficiency were up to 15 times more likely to need to be admitted to ICU. A small Spanish study saw 50 patients with Covid-19 getting a high dose of vitamin D and another 26 not given it. Half of the second group ended up in ICU while only one patient given the vitamin was admitted.

Obviously, I can only add that you should always contact your GP or Health Service if you suspect you have the virus and should self-isolate immediately. The same old rules of hand-washing, social distancing, travelling a max of 5k and keeping social contacts to a minimum still apply and still work.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/covid-19-how-to-look-after-yourself-if-you-catch-the-virus-1.4465085

Finding the pounds hard to shift?

Midway through the first month and results to date may well be disappointing. 

If so it's only to be expected. A new drive to lose weight is often hampered by habits and food still around from the old you. If you are like me and refuse to waste food then part of the problem is the need to eat and drink all the bad stuff before embarking on "my body is a temple" approach. My approach only added to my weight problems. A better approach would have been to give the food away, preferably to someone not on a drive to lose weight!

So cut yourself a little slack....... Rome wasn't built in a day and pounds of fat built up over years will not just dissolve overnight.  

First of all, re-read the 10 steps I suggest to help you lose weight or better still just read the following formula that is the core principle of weight: 

Consume more calories than you burn and you add weight

Do the opposite and the weight and fat drops off

So here is your choice: 

Option 1 increase your activity levels = burn more fat and lose weight or 

Option 2 reduce your intake of food and drink (ie. less calories) = loss of weight

Option 3 Do both and it's a win-win

Increase activity examples: today consider Walking

• Walk to work or to the next bus stop before taking the bus or tube
• Walk to the shops and carry a backpack to put your shopping in
• Walk at lunchtime around the industrial estate or around a nearby shop or shopping center
• Ignore the office lift and take the stairs up and down to the office or the car park
• Walk in the evening and bring the dog with you so kills two birds with one stone!
• Find a walking club online or in the local shop or community center noticeboard
• Find a walking buddy or put a notice up yourself locally - you are not the only one seeking to lose weight this month.
• Take up a hobby such as mountain-walking or a sport such as badminton, tennis or bowls
• Buy a stepper and set a number of steps you aim to walk or
• Join Strava or Garmin as a free member and they will record all your activities on your phone or watch and use that knowledge to motivate yourself to take action

Cut back the calories examples:

• Swop potatoes with sweet potatoes when making chips
• Use one cal  cooking oils 
• Serve up food on small plates
• Eat before 9:00 pm and nothing afterward!
• Hungry still?  - drink water - often you mistake thirst for hunger
• Make sure each meal is a third green and two thirds low-fat something
• Stop eating after 5 minutes or when you are no longer hungry - save the food for another meal
• Replace bread with rye crispbread, cheese with low-fat cheese, yogurt with low-fat yogurt etc. Small changes in diet make big changes in weight

Step 10 Movitate weight loss by rewards

It's a proven fact that losing weight doesn't just happen. You must consciously make weight loss exercise important to you. Let's also admit that a list of steps that just say "no" or "don't eat this or that" is de-motivating. We need to emphasis the upside of shaking off that unhealthy, cumbersome extra weight and we need to get back to healthy eating.

The medical benefits you gain are huge by losing weight and settling at a healthy BMI (body mass index) but for most of us, we are seeking other more tangible benefits. I for one have clothes and jeans that I left behind as a slimmer person and am looking forward to slipping back into. 

So as I watched the scales showing a relentless increase in my weight I didn't throw out my clothes. I kept them to motivate me to lose the weight and get back into them.  However, if you are seeking a fresh start and new you then, by all means, give them away.

Buy yourself new clothes for when you reach your target weight: You deserve a reward for all your hard work — and a new wardrobe also helps keep you on your toes.

Dave, who lost more than 3 st (20 kg) in 12 weeks and reversed his diabetes, now has a favourite shirt which he tells me he uses to measure how well he is sticking to his new habits. When the shirt starts getting tight, he knows it’s time to be a bit stricter with his diet.

And when you start noticing results, throw out your old clothes that are now loose and baggy. That way you won’t be tempted to slip back into those bigger sizes.

Motivation factors you can use:

• Daily weigh-ins - ease off as you reach the target weight and weigh less frequently. Down a pound? hugely motivating. Up a pound? Use it to motivate more effort 
• Reward yourself as you go. Allow the odd treat or "sin" but control it, just one now!
• Don't skimp on runners or shoes, buy proper runners if you are undertaking longer walks as your feet need to be properly supported (check that you do not need orthotic supports - I did)
• Book that holiday for six months time and use it to get you down to the weight you seek.

Click here for twenty motivational quotes for women

Click here for thirty motivational quotes for men 

I hope the ten steps outlined in my recent blogs will help you with the challenge that you are doing primarily for yourself. Your quality and duration of life on this planet will be longer and happier without this fat that you are now carrying around.  Reach out to weight loss groups if you need support or find a person to buddy-up with. 

Well done for addressing the issue and doing something about it. If the amount you need to lose is large then break this challenge down into smaller more realistic targets and just knock them off one at a time. 

Health Alert: Do check with your doctor before embarking on any change in diet or level of activity.

Stay safe and see this through. 

Step 9 Prioritise sleep to lose weight

Most people need at least seven to eight hours a night — any less and you’re likely to feel hungry and crave high-carb, high-calorie foods. To get a good night’s sleep, it’s important to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on the weekend.

Points to bear in mind:

• More sleep gives you more energy so you will wake refreshed and ready to go!
• More sleep means you burn more calories as they burn off while you asleep
• More sleep equals less late nights and less opportunities to vere off the straight and narrow and give in to binging on crackers and cheese or late night nacho dips
• Longer sleep means you rise hungry so make sure you eat well. I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 
• Eat a good breakfast and carry some sliced fruit for elevene's and then your main meal at lunch time so you have the opportunity to burn off the calories before something more moderate for tea.

Given the times we are living through I have often found it very difficult to go to sleep, especially if its before ten-thirty at night. 

If you have problems sleeping try one or more of the following:

• Do not drink or eat anything after 9:00 pm and visit the toilet before taking to bed, even if you don't need a visit. I call it a "Safety Pee" and its cuts out the urge to go at 3 or 4 in the night.
• Radio or Phone - If you like me find drifting off to sleep hard then turn on the radio and set the volume level so low that you have to concentrate to hear it. Set so low it means you can drift off and not be disturbed by it later in the night. 
• Talk Stations or Podcast - I need to listen to humans talking when I lie in bed at night so I tune to a talk station. It almost guaranteed that I won't be awoken at 4 am by loud music and sometimes I often learn from the conversations that are emitting from the radio. I heard a great discussion on private health insurance one night recently and rather than forget the details and switched on my phone and left a voice message with the information. Next morning I went to the website mentioned and compared policies as my renewal is happening soon. 
• Open a window, in a chillier room you will snuggle deep under the sheets and duvet and be less inclined to sit up in bed reading or on the phone
• Leave the mobile phone behind when heading to bed or at least switch off the wi-fi and mobile data or switch off the sound.

Keep safe and I hope these tips are useful to you.

Do let me know if you have any I can use.

Step 8 Be mindful about what you eat

 Be mindful about what you are eating. 

We can sleep-eat the extra pounds without even enjoying it!

That means from today:

• eat slowly and
• pay attention to the smells and flavours
• stop eating when you start to feel full 
• do not eat after 9 pm

Be aware of the habits that make you eat mindlessly, such as snacking in between meals or eating in front of the TV. This is one of the easiest ways to consume lots of calories without noticing.

Dr Michael Mosley recalls he did a programme once where he secretly filmed someone eating more than 1,000 calories in crisps because he was watching TV. That person wasn’t really aware he was doing it. I have been that person but not now. Now I'm on a mission and I hope that by merely sticking to regular "good" meals with smaller portions, walking a little further I can lose that extra weight. 

Good meals mean your plate is one-third green and the other two-thirds lean (max 5% fat) meat/fish. 

Stay safe and eat well

#weightloss, #loseweightnow, #loseweight, #getfit, #weightlosstransformation , #weightlossdiet, #loseweightnaturally, #operationtransformation,

Step 7 Post-its to help losing weight

Stick Post-it notes on the fridge with your goals on it or warnings "Stay away from the double cream" for example. Do the same on kitchen presses and cupboards that contain temptations.

These notes will remind yourself why you are doing this. I want to live to a healthy old age, enjoying life with friends and family and that’s what keeps me motivated. 

What's your motivation? Avoid death by Covid? Avoid a heart attack? Be there for the grand children's milestone moments? Enjoy sport again? You probably need some good reason to get you successfully lose weight. Have a think now and latch onto it.

Losing weight and keeping it off is one of the hardest things I’ve done. But I’ve succeeded and so can you. I'm back at 12 pounds overweight because of a few reasons and Covid would be one of them. An ankle injury is another but this blog is not about me. I'm sure you have your own reasons.

Writing these short blogs are actually a strong motivation for me to lose weight as I have decided to share my results with you each day. So far it's not been amazing but that's not because the steps don't work its because I fail to action them. They definitely work and all you need to do is action them yourself. I am not giving up and nor should you. 

The annoyingly easy to stick notes can be placed on white loaves of bread, butter, chocolate bars, secret stashes in biscuit tins hidden in wardrobes. They give you just another chance to say "No" to sinning and giving in to that primal desire to eat and drink what you like.

I listened to yet another diet expert talk about the mental side of things and how useless it is to go on these short term exercises trying to lose weight. She had a point in that its no use doing this dieting and then when you hit the target return to your old ways. The point she misses is that after you and I hit our target weight, which if we keep weight loss in our top three matters of importance to us we will do, then we carry on with the rest of life with an understanding of what we had been doing wrong and knowing how to fix it. 

It's the knowledge gained on the journey to a healthy weight that gives us the ability to stay healthy in the future. This weight loss journey is just arming you with the tools to fix your weight issues in the future.

Footnote - My Progress - This time it's personal!

Today I can report: I'm down a pound and its mainly due to a 6.4k walk that took 97 minutes during which we consumed two mandarins and a sliced apple. By we, I mean the dog and myself and my wife. He, Buttons, thinks he is part of the family and deserves an equal share. Can't recall the last time he shared his nuts with me but he hoy!  

Step 6 Use smaller plates to reduce food intake

It’s tricky to know when to stop if you’re eating from a huge dinner plate, so switch to a smaller size and don’t pile food up high. 

Pace yourself and, when you have finished, pause for a minute or two before you help yourself to more. It takes time for the receptors in your small intestine to signal ‘enough’, so the faster you eat, the more you eat.

The pause gives your body’s hunger signals time to get through from your intestine to your brain and to register properly if you’re still hungry; chances are, you’re not.

Eat small but eat often so you don't get too hungry and give in to binge eating everything around you. Carry healthy snacks with you to prevent bad food consumption.

Consider eating and just stopping after five minutes, regardless of what is left on the plate. Freeze or put it away for later or for tomorrow what's left. Often we eat just to clear the plate, to avoid waste but we, if we are honest with ourselves, we really have already satisfied our need to eat.

Drink a glass of water while you are eating. Water can fill you up and often in the evening when you think you are hungry, you are actually dehydrated and need water, not food.

Try alternating a glass of water with a glass of alcohol, a practice quite common on the European continent.

Never eat after 9:00 pm and always get a good six to eight hours of sleep. Remember, you lose weight in bed overnight. 

Footnote - My Progress - This time it's personal!

Today I can report: I'm up 2 pounds and it's not what I was expecting! 

I stood on the scales twice and blinked. I repositioned the scales but to no avail. Definitely 2 pounds up. I have just chatted with my wife and I think now I know what happened. Three sandwiches with coleslaw washed down by a brilliant spicy carrot soup for lunch and because the fish tea looked small I added tinned mackerel and then followed on with ice cream and blueberry yoghurt. The food itself is all good except the ice cream but there was just too too much. 

OK - today is going to see more walking and smaller portions. Let's see if I can deliver a drop in weight and can resist the biscuits that are only feet away. They are safe as long as the packets remain sealed.

My target is to lose 12 pounds and aiming for one pound per week.

#weightloss, #loseweightnow, #loseweight, #getfit, #weightlosstransformation , #weightlossdiet, #loseweightnaturally, #operationtransformation,

Step 5 Keep active as a way to lose weight

As well as releasing happy hormones that will help you stay positive about the changes you’re making, increased activity is something almost all successful long-term dieters do, as it helps you see physical results.

With WEIGHT, it all comes down to a very basic formula:

Eat and drink = add calories 

Exist as a being = lose, subtract or burn calories

Add more than you lose and on goes the weight and the opposite is true if it goes the other way.

We lose calories even as we sleep. It's true! Eat nothing in the evening weigh yourself. Then weigh again when you rise in the morning. You will have lost weight.

However, it's safe to say that real weight loss is made by movement and working the body. If you want to lose weight you have to alter YOUR formula. 

Cut down on calorie intake or increase activity or do both!

Actvity can be walking for longer or walking at a higher tempo. Tackle the stairs and set a target of going up and down a number of times, walk around the house, up and down the garden. Whatever works up a little sweat burns calories when doing it and for hours afterwards.

I like the HIT (High-Intensity Training) where you exercise two or three times a week for very short intense bursts. It can be as little as a minute or two. To find out more about exercise sessions of sixty seconds click here for Dr Michael Mosley's short video about HIT for the ordinary person. 

For the more able and active of you please visit Wikipedia for further information

WARNING IMPORTANT - please check with your GP or doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise levels. 

Alert!  RTE's Operation Transformation started yesterday. This program takes groups of ordinary people and helps them transform themselves through healthy eating and exercise. 

#OperationTransformation is back with a new series started Wednesday (6th Jan, 9.35pm @RTEOne

Follow it on https://twitter.com/OpTranRTE

Footnote - My Progress - This time it's personal!

Today I can report a drop of .40 of a pound. I upped my exercise regime by actually jogging 5 kilometres and I held strong in the evening with one glass of red wine and no nibbles. The two packets of biscuits remain unopened but it's getting harder and harder to ignore them. So down 1.4o pounds this week. Its still a small loss that can be wiped out by one bad night so not there yet!

My target is to lose 12 pounds and aiming for one pound per week.

#weightloss, #loseweightnow, #loseweight, #getfit, #weightlosstransformation , #weightlossdiet, #loseweightnaturally, #operationtransformation,

Step 4 Sit Down for meals

Sit down when you are eating.  Focus on the food as you eat. The more you have to chew your food the longer the benefit of eating lasts as it takes your body time to break down the food into its nutrients. Eating slowly enables you to digest the food properly and prolongs the act of eating so you can savour the taste and enjoy the food.

Remember, all food is made up of only three nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and protein

Eating Out: If you have to eat while out why not prepare a small lunch box of good food before you go out? If you don't it's very likely you will make poor food choices or worse still someone you are meeting will make those choices for you!

Consider preparing before you leave and storing it in your bag some of the following items:

• Sliced apple or orange or an unpeeled banana
• Some nuts, brazil or walnut
• A small bag of soft pitted prunes, very good for the intestines
• A home-made sandwich made-up of low-calorie brown bread with low-calorie cheese triangle slices
• A home-made vegetable soup heated up and in a thermos flask

This is not a definitive list - add your own favourite good-for-you snack

It's never a good idea to eat on-the-move and by on the move I mean even when you are getting something out of the fridge, cooking the children’s tea or walking around a supermarket. 

All of these grazing moments add up — and not in a good way.

Alert!  RTE's Operation Transformation starts today. This program takes groups of ordinary people and helps them transform themselves through healthy eating and exercise. 

#OperationTransformation is back with a new series next Wednesday (6th Jan, 9.35pm @RTEOne

Follow it on https://twitter.com/OpTranRTE

Footnote - My Progress - This time it's personal!

Today I can report a drop of .6 of a pound so now at 165.00 pounds so 10 pounds to go. My success today was a continuation of showing strong willpower. 

There was a packet of chocolate biscuits delivered by Tesco yesterday and that joined a packet of digestive on the counter in the kitchen. I know I'm making it hard for myself as per Rule 1 - no temptation should be in the home. I do enjoy the odd "sin" or treat, normally but right now I can only look but not touch. I know if either packet is opened I will wolf them down in two's and three's. So my advice is don't have the temptation around while on this diet. I am living dangerously but look at it another way. Proof your a serious about this diet by having your "sin" sat close by and just say "No - I am not giving in. When I hit my target then I'll enjoy you. Treat it as a reward you will have earned when you get down to the weight you want."

My target is to lose 12 pounds and aiming for one pound per week.

#weightloss, #loseweightnow, #loseweight, #getfit, #weightlosstransformation , #weightlossdiet, #loseweightnaturally, #operationtransformation,

Step 3 Find a diet buddy and what about a food diary?

In the absence of being able to or wanting to join a slimming group why not find a friend or group of friends to join you in this year's weight loss venture? There are millions of people like you seeking to lose weight. Ask around. 

If you are living together all the better but if your diet buddy is a neighbour then met up in the garden or go for walks socially distanced. If they are further afield, remember Zoom offers free video conferencing for forty minutes and you can make video calls with most mobile phones.

We’re social creatures and tend to mimic others, so if your partner, friends or colleagues could do with getting fitter or losing weight why not invite them to join you?

By including another person in your weight loss bubble you have another reason to think twice before eating badly or giving up and you can offer each other support and motivation. You can trade diet tips, recipes or exercise together. 

If you can involve your partner then you can cook one meal for both of you rather than cooking separate meals. 

If you are even slightly competitive you can motivate yourself by trying to lose more weight than your diet buddy. 

Another tip some people find useful is the filling in of a Wellness Diary,  Just note, for even the first few days, what food and drink you consume. You may be surprised by the diaries contents as much of the food we eat is consumed while on auto-pilot. The biscuit or slice of cake that accompanies the coffee you have six times a day, the four slices of toast that you ate at breakfast, the sandwiches you grabbed on the run, the bar of chocolate you consumed sat in a traffic jam. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself. 

Alert!  RTE's Operation Transformation starts today. This program takes groups of ordinary people and helps them transform themselves through healthy eating and exercise. 

#OperationTransformation is back with a new series today (6th Jan, 9.35pm @RTEOne

Follow it on https://twitter.com/OpTranRTE

Footnote: My Progress for day 3

At last a day I can declare a weight loss!

Down one whole pound and what I did was cut out the large meal portion for tea replacing it with a medium portion of chicken casserole.  I also had no biscuits with my half a dozen coffees throughout the day. That evening I still allowed myself a good-sized glass of red wine while watching the brilliant Queens Gambit, a new six part series on Netflix. Its the first series that has really engaged me since the lockdown began. We follow the life of an orphan girl, born in the US in the 1950's and who is seriously talented at playing chess, a talent she stumbled upon while watching the janitor of the orphanage playing during his break times. 

You can lose weight and have a few sins along the way!

 10 Golden Steps to weight loss that work 

1. Clear out all junk food

2. Weigh yourself

3. Find a diet buddy

4. Sit down for meals

5. Get active

6. Smaller portions

7. Use Post-it notes

8. Eat slowly, savour food

9. Prioritise sleep

10. Reward yourself