My Choice

An important aspect for successful weightloss is decision making. It is not just enough to take that initial step and begin a diet. That is the starting point, but from everyday onwards success or failure will be determined on the choices that we make.

Today for example, I have been given several opportunities to break from my eating regime. One of the reasons I will be successful moving forward is the ability to say no. Resist temptation. Stick to what works. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but if the motivation and will power is really there, the right choices will be made.

Exhibit A. When I arrived at my desk this morning, I found a box of chocolates on my desk. One of my colleagues, bless her, bought them for me to say thank you for something that happened earlier in the week. She knows that I’m dieting but said I could keep them for a bad day. Now, in the early stages of dieting, I try to avoid shops for the very reason that I know I’m susceptible to chocolate. Being faced with a gift first thing in the morning, after a week of being very good was tough. However, I’m determined not to crack. The Heroes will stay in my cupboard for a while and I’ll blog again when the day comes that I tuck in.

My lunchtime choice. Soup vs Heroes. Soup won

Exhibit B. We have a communal lunch room in my office. Having spent the week avoiding the Peanut Butter Oreos and Biscuits, today a message came around about leftover buffet being available following an event. Sandwiches, bhajis, some sort of meat on a stick, mini-quiche. The sort of crap that even though you don’t really want to eat it, you find yourself compelled to eat platefuls of the stuff. I didn't. My choice.

Mmmm, leftovers. Must. Eat.

Exhibit C. No supportive photos on this occasion but trust me. A group of fundraisers came around with trays full of cakes and cookies. They put them in my face, saying it was for whatever good cause they are supporting. I stuck a pound coin in their collection bucket and but did not take anything from them. Well done me. Sticking to my diet and giving to charity.

There are various choices we have to make. Do I open that bottle of wine when I get home from work? Shall I pass on cooking and order takeout? Why don’t I have that second helping? Unless you are a child or infirm, the responsibility for what you consume on a daily basis lies squarely with you. I’ve never hidden away from the fact that I made myself a 24st man. The reason I’m dieting again this January is because of poor choices in recent months.

Graduation Day. Barely 21. Enormous. And I got much bigger than this

So thank you for the chocolates. Thank you for the leftover buffet. Thank you for the cakes. But no, my choice today is to politely decline. 

Wednesday Weigh-In - 19 February

There was no need for atmospheric music building to a crescendo this morning. I knew the outcome of Wednesday Weigh In long before I jumped onto the scales. For the third straight week there is a gain and whereas there have been no alarm bells ringing out in previous weeks, my attention is now firmly been gripped. A tipping point was reached a couple of days ago, and now I’m consciously moving back into diet mode. There is no point in talking about maintenance if all I’m doing is piling on the pounds.

Not a giant leap for mankind, but an unwelcome upward trajectory

I stopped the rot on Monday night, putting an end to the feasting that has become daily ritual of late. While it was too late to reverse the effects of the preceding days, it felt good to call it quits. It is a very strange feeling knowing that you are hurting yourself with food, but when I’m on a downward spiral, I find it very difficult to stop. Although never formally identified, I tick most of the characteristics of a binge eater. Compulsive overeating is more than just seeking comfort from a box of chocolates or a tub of ice cream. I certainly never got to 24 stone through indulging in just an occasional treat. It is a constant need to eat, whether hungry or not, despite knowing that I don’t need to.

When I find myself rummaging through cupboards grabbing handfuls of breakfast cereal, I know there is a problem. Recognising it as an issue is the first step to addressing the situation. I’ve become adept at dieting through adopting a tight disciplinary approach to what I consume, thus suppressing compulsion. My attitude towards weight maintenance has probably hindered me. I was supposed to be keeping things steady at 14 stone rather than looking for further weightloss. Psychologically I think this was a green light for my defences to drop and with broken sleep thrown into the mix, I cooked up a nice big portion of dieting sabotage.

The good news is I feel I’ve emerged from the slump. Yesterday I didn’t deviate from my three meals, barring a couple of mouthfuls of my eldest son’s leftovers. I rejected biscuit and chocolate overtures from colleagues. I kept my grubby mitts away from the cupboards apart from when there was legitimate reason to do so. I feel like I’ve re-established control and pushing this dieting juggernaut back on track. Even the little man obliged last night giving me a whole night in my own bed for the first time in quite a while.

The last three weeks have seen me gain 4 pounds. I’m making demands of myself to have a loss next week. With good eating habits restored and intentions for some lengthy training runs in the coming days, that is a realistic target.

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Only Smarties Have The Answer

I sometimes think how good it must be to be in advertising. I don't necessarily mean chain smoking, adulterous head cases like Don Draper, but more the fruit of labours of advertising types. Whoever came up with the concept of being a Secret Lemonade Drinker must chortle that R Whites continue to use that line when promoting their goods all these years later.

Smarties British Candy (Photo credit: fritish)

As a child I was always taken by the Smarties slogan, 'Only Smarties Have The Answer.' It was never a product that needed clever advertising, after all, how many children aren't going to love brightly coloured chocolate? Looking back now as an adult, I do wonder about the tagline and what it actually means. If Smarties have the answer, what on earth is the question?

Well, I think I may have discovered this yesterday evening. Rather shamefully I grabbed a handful from my son's Christmas stash, and proceeded to eat them. Except karma redressed the balance of me pinching chocolate by causing me to not just chew through the crisp outer coating, but also to thrust my teeth into my tongue, leaving me a bloodied mess. The great Smarties question apparently then goes something along the line of What is the most ridiculous way to demonstrate to diet blog readers that eating chocolate is bad for you?

The single most attractive selfie ever?

Speaking of teeth, it has been an interesting week for my youngest. Over the last 7 days he has acquired three teeth to offer company to his solitary incisor that pushed through in late October. All mums and dads reading this will know about the side effects of teething, and I hope will be sympathetic to how the past week has been for my household. It has been great fun scrubbing vomit from his clothes night after night. Yesterday I got a face-full of petit filous for my trouble after a pre-bedtime coughing fit. Fortunately we've got through today minus any sickness so hopefully that is the end of the teething for now.

Having felt like a tool for my Smarties exploits, and smelling delightfully of baby puke, I decided I needed to do something positive and so after a 10 day break from running dusted off my trainers. Conscious that my lungs were still not clear of gunk I didn't stray too far from the house. I managed five and a half kilometres in a very respectable 27 minutes and suffered no ill effect. Back to parkrun for me then on Saturday morning and maybe a longer run on Sunday.

After learning my lesson about chocolate, the reward for running was delivered pizza, which from a diet perspective didn't make much sense. However, if I am going to indulge in a takeout once in a while, it may as well be on a day when I've worked for it.

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Survival Sunday

When I'm in dieting mode, I really dislike Sundays. The Bible bills it as a day of rest but for me Sunday is a 24 hour test of will and resistance.

Today provided a perfect case on point. I was up half the night with the little one so was fatigued. I had a few aches and pains from Saturday's run to contend with. My boys were both vying for my attention throughout the day and with energy levels dipping into the red, the desire to eat junk was overwhelming.

Day 4 of the 2014 version of my diet and my least disciplined to date. I added a banana to my breakfast, couldn't stay away from the cheese in the fridge throughout the day and happily accepted a couple of chocolate orange segments when offered. That probably doesn't sound like stupid amounts, but it feels like it.

I don't like how my mid drift looks rounder than it did just a few weeks ago. As a  Christmas paunch goes, it is nothing to write home about, but the fact I'm noticing my belly reflects on the fact that my clothes are a little tighter.

A full week of work ahead should make life easier. If I find myself thinking about food it is more difficult to do something about it than when at home on the weekend. I'll also look to get some running time in the evening this week to aid my 1/2 marathon preparations. I'll be disappointed in myself if I don't make it out at least twice.

Three Reasons to Feel Good

After my calf tightened up at the gym on Tuesday, I've spent the last couple of days away from the treadmill. As much as it has been a good chance to rest up, I've missed going. Rewind the clock to a few weeks back and I never thought I'd be saying that! My leg feels a lot better this evening though so I plan to squeeze in a little bit of huffing and puffing (aka running) tomorrow before the weekend kicks in.

The fact that I've dropped the physical part of my diet regime has not meant that I've given myself a green light to ignore the eating bit. I've added some fruit to my daily routine (who doesn't love peaches!) and enjoyed a fat free yoghurt with my lunch, but nothing that it going to substantially deviate from the three meal a day plan.

There was a brief moment of temptation at work today, when I was presented with a large box of Swiss chocolates from some very grateful students I've helped to secure jobs. These were very quickly offered to colleagues throughout the office and I'm pleased to say that I was able to keep my hands away from them. As my newest reader (big hello to Emma in Warwickshire) pointed out, this gave me three reasons to feel good. Receiving the chocolates in the first place was great, and a lovely gesture that was as unexpected as it was welcome. Secondly, in giving the chocolates to my colleagues, I was able to turn the tables and be the person providing the gift. And finally, I can be all smug and sanctimonious that I was strong willed and able to resist. Yay for me.

Would indulging in one chocolate have hurt my diet in isolation? No, of course not. Would one have led to another, and then probably more? Undoubtedly yes. I look forward to the day when I manage to find that balance where I can enjoy a treat and trust myself to leave it at that. Until then, I'm sticking to Plan A and abstaining from bad stuff wherever possible.

Get back to what you know

When I started writing this blog at the start of the year, I always knew there was a cloud hovering above February that would likely effect both the diet and my ability to pen content. That cloud came to be on 11 Feb in the form of a 7lb 1oz baby boy. Under normal circumstances a new family addition will alter your usual routine, and as you'll have noted from the blog so far, my dieting success comes off the back of consistent behaviour. With that in mind, plus the knowledge that Jacob's arrival brought additional concerns, I benched the diet for the last three weeks. Today things will get back to normal.

My paternity leave plus an additional week of leave has been and gone, and today I head back to the office. I strongly suspect I'll be spending most of the day talking about babies and hospitals rather than be particularly productive, but whereas I can't control my colleagues wanting to know everything about Jacob's adventure to date, what I can do is regain control of my food intake. I've just started my day with a bowl of porridge with a banana and plan to get back on track with a view to weigh-in on Wednesday.

After initially keeping relatively healthy during my time off, the last week or so has descended into cake, crisps and chocolate. They are no longer on my menu. A return to three steady meals a day will replace eating at will. I voluntarily climbed off this dieting horse, but now I'm determined to get back in the saddle and resume where I left off.

When you find a weightloss formula that works for you, stick with it. That is what I am doing today, going back to what I know. A wee bit of sleep deprivation may present a challenge, but dieting was never supposed to be easy.

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Choices, choices

Life is full of choices. Do you got outside and play in the snow, or do you stay inside nice and warm? Do you tidy the house when you know you really need to or do you decide to put it off for another day. The big topic of conversation in my household at 8am on a Saturday was do we go with Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam or Looney Toons? There are always choices. Always an alternative.

The same is true of dieting, and the choices that you make will be a determining factor in whether or not you are successful. My choice so far has taken advantage of my 'all or nothing' mentality and distance myself from snacks and sweet stuff. I know that once I get a taste for chocolate, cake or crisps I'll be looking for more. And then some more. And before I know it, I'll have abandoned diet mode and started to reverse the losses of the last two weeks.

Some people have better self restraint than me. They can have a little bit of something nice from time to time and not let it interfere with their weightloss plans. I am somewhat envious of them, but I know what works for me and where my weaknesses lie. So in the face of temptation, my attitude is to politely decline the opportunity.

That situation arose yesterday at work. One of my colleagues was having their final day before moving off to pastures new, and inevitably there was a bit of a leaving do planned, starting with our traditional office lunchtime buffet. We have some sensational amateur bakers in our midst. One had made a to die for cake while the other had made a gorgeous collection of cupcakes. Throw in a huge amount of savoury goods and the challenge was set. Do I tuck in or do I abstain?

The PCC Buffet - What would you do?

In the end, the snowfall took the decision out of my hands, as I had to leave work early to collect my son from his nursery which was closing early due to the adverse weather conditions. However, I had every intention of taking a look but don't touch policy. My humble lunch of ham, rocket and coleslaw wrap would have done nicely (as it did later when I eventually got home) and not broken my diet.

My choice is to take the steps necessary to achieve long-term weightloss. If that means deferring on a raft of sweet temptations, so be it.

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