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,

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 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 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

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! 

You have to start somewhere and sometime - why not now?

Starting today I'm going to commit to losing weight naturally and sensibly over the coming days. If you want to do the same and need a few pointers, please join me on this journey to a healthy weight. 

I have done it before so I do know a way to a healthy weight.  It could work for you. You may want to tweak it a bit or just take some tips and ideas from here to help in your own battle of the bulge.

I will post daily a few tips because in my past I have lost three stone so I know what works and what doesn't. 

So here we are with a new year to enjoy and a single aim to lose weight.

Rather than re-invent the wheel I suggest you read this article by the best and most scientifically researched writer on weight loss Doctor Michael Mosley and over the coming days I will post more information to help us both get the weight loss we seek to reach a normal BMI or whatever weight that is correct for you. 

Click here for Dr Michael Mosley's article which he published in newspapers yesterday.

Welcome to my secret weight loss plan. I will be posting my own actual results but I won't state my weight, just my progress as I'm not really the point of this website. This blog is to help spread the good news of how you can lose weight normally by just altering your eating habits and upping your exercise level. 

Click on the FOLLOW button to be sure you get notified of my posts over the coming days 

So welcome onboard!