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,

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

Step 2 Weigh yourself regularly

Researchers who recently monitored more than 1,700 people for more than two years found those who weighed themselves daily were on average 14.3 lb (6.5 kg) lighter at the end than those who weighed themselves monthly. It's true and that's why I have placed it so high up the list of ten steps to take to lose weight as it works for me.

Look, weighing yourself is a personal choice. No one has to do anything, certainly not adults so if you chose to skip this step be my guest. I can only tell you that I found weighing-in daily has been extremely motivating for me. 

That's right, I weigh in every morning after my shower and breakfast and I note the weight in my pocket diary. Be the news good or bad I write it down.

If I had wine and nacho's the previous night I generally spot the effect on the weighing scales the next morning and they don't lie. Now armed with the fact that I put on weight I can make myself do something about it. I have two choices. I can up my calorie burn for the day or cut down my calorie intake. Maybe go for a longer than normal walk or jog for ten minutes or more? 

I know if I hadn't bothered with weighing myself daily and spotting the extra pound or two I would more than likely have been shocked to find at the end of the week that I was five or more pounds up. 

Alternatively, if I had a night of badness and saw no change in weight I would be thrilled with my escape and reinforce my will power to keep on the straight and narrow.  That night was a near miss. Maybe I'd eaten less earlier in the day and had room for the badness. 

I strongly recommend that you weigh daily but it's your choice. Remember weighing scales may be a crude measure of well being but it is the only piece of equipment that I believe you need. Plus you are doing this diet and weighing yourself for your reasons only and nobody else. 

Footnote - My Progress

Today I can report a very slight reduction but yesterday I fell for the classic portion size mistake. That is covered in step 6 in my plan - Use Smaller Plates. I grew up alongside three brothers and food was always a high priority for me. I loved my food and always cleared my plate and I used to hoover up any food off the other's plates. It was understandable back in the day when food was hard to come by and I was a blur of activity but now I'm a much older less active individual. I need to eat slowly and less. Lesson learned today. My failings occur because I'm like you, human and prone to weakness. No reason to give though. Off we go again!

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

First Practical Steps to losing weight - Step 1 of 10

Step 1 Get rid of the junk food

By that, I mean the treats, the pleasurable eats, the rewards for yourself that make life bearable. If you like them they are almost invariably bad for you. You know what they are. Eat, throw out or give away all the bad stuff. 

Leaving them in the home means there is just too much temptation for you to resist. For most of us, the most dangerous time of the day is the hours after 9:00 pm. It's about that time that I prowl around the house seeking forgotten bars of chocolate, yoghurts, cake slices or biscuits. 

It may take a day or two but just clear them out.  Remember if they are not there you can't eat them!

But life is not all about giving things up. Buy things that are good for you and eat them instead. Substitute bad stuff with good stuff. We each have very different tastes so my examples below of good food and drink substitutes that I like will differ from yours but you get the idea. 

Stop drinking wine or beer - replace with low-calorie soda water and martini

Stop eating bread and start eating crispbread - have it with low-fat cheese, tomatoes etc.

Think of examples for yourself.  

Set a Target and go for it. If this is your day one why not weigh yourself and write it down somewhere, just for yourself.  Now set a realistic target to aim for, say to lose a pound  a week. It has to be a target you are confident you can achieve. Only you know what you can do when you put your mind to it and to lose weight you definitely have to make it a priority task in your life. Up there in your Top 3. 

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

 Visit again tomorrow when I will introduce you to Rule 2 and thanks for reading my blog this far. 

Footnote - I have a target to lose 12 pounds and I'm starting today. I will post any changes honestly for each day until I achieve my target. I'm hoping for a pound off a week so lets see how I get along. Let me know how you are doing. You can message me if you prefer at markrice10@gmail.com

Good luck!