2nd January - Let's Do This

A year ago today I started this blog. The premise was pretty simple; I was going to lose weight in 2013 and chronicle my progress for any interested parties to follow. I stole the premise of a public weigh-in from the likes of Weight Watchers and Slimmers World to provide the focal point, namely the Wednesday Weigh-In, which gave me no place to hide whether things were going well or not.

Today isn't a Wednesday, but I'll break with my own convention and publish what the scales say today. I had to admit there was a fair bit of trepidation in doing so as this was the first time I've been near them since clocking in with my final weigh-in of 2013. I knew that I'd be heavier today than I was then, thanks to the Christmas effect (which I attribute no blame to my mother-in-law and her fine hospitality), but I really wasn't sure exactly how much. I still fitted comfortably into my 34 inch jeans a few days after Christmas so knew it couldn't have been a crash of apocalyptic quantity.

So here we go, today I'm looking at this.

Not what the Doctor ordered

It could have been worse. Despite being away from home for most of Christmas week I still managed to squeeze in my Saturday morning 5k, swapping my usual Black Park ParkRun for a bit of tourism in Bradford. Clocking a respectable sub-25 minute time following plenty of turkey was well worth the effort, though I have to admit the icy rain before the start of the race had me questioning my sanity.

Equally it could have been better. I did eat to excess when with a little restraint I could have come through Christmas week relatively unscathed. Polishing off bowls of nuts and quality street for breakfast is a bit overkill, but for one week a year having abstained from most bad things for the previous 51 weeks, a little overindulgence was probably justified.

So what does 2014 hold in store for me? Well, for starters I've ditched booze for January and reverted to the tried and tested diet formula. Transferring from eat when I want to three meals a day should see me claw back some of that extra weight in no time at all. The half-marathon is a mere 80 days away so I have to find time to step up my running beyond what I do on a Saturday morning or otherwise I'm going to get quite a shock on March 22nd when I'm expected to run more than 4 times what I'm used to.

Due to popular demand this blog will continue through 2014, hopefully with me maintaining a healthy weight. If you are looking to start a health kick this year, stick this site into your favourites, have a read through the 2013 archive and hopefully you'll feel inspired. If I could do this, you can too.

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Wednesday Weigh-in - 10 April

Despite the biscuits episode on Monday, things have moved in the right direction. As the picture shows below, I've sneaked back under 17st.

Poorly taken photo - in a hurry this morning!

I suppose I should be happy about this. A few days of porridge eating sandwiching the bad days have helped to lose some of the Easter excess. But here is the thing; I am currently heavier than I was at the start of March. I want to be making progress towards my long term goal rather than seeing my weight jump up and down on a weekly basis. For this to happen, I need to get things back under control for a sustained period.

The first steps to achieve this have already been taken. I've not had a drink since Easter Sunday. My plan is to have a dry Easter, which may get extended into May, though a trip to a Haven caravan park and its evening entertainment will likely put an end to that. The sheer thought of Music Mania and Anxious the Elephant has got me itching for an overpriced watered down pint. Back on point, the next step is to cleanse my mind of the sort of food I've been supplementing my diet with in recent weeks. Cake and chocolate are dead to me!

I actually bought some doughnuts today. I didn't get them for me, but for somebody special who'd had a frustrating day and was in need of a sugar rush. At no point did I even consider having one for myself. This is quite a difference from 48 hours ago when I physically couldn't stop myself eating cheap Lidl biscuits.

Moving forward, I have to get back my pigheaded stubborn streak that abjectly refuses food outside of my diet plan. It is what works for me and I know I can do it. Mind over matter is what will decide if my long term goals are achieved. Let the mentals games begin.

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Scales are not your friend

When trying to lose weight, dieters invariably find themselves with a trusty companion. Those bathroom scales that have been ignored for however long suddenly acquire elevated status. It goes without saying that when you are cutting down on food intake you want to see results, but don’t presume that every time you climb on board, you’ll see what you want to.

Successful weightloss takes time. It is a long term project, not a quick fix. Realistically you only need to weigh yourself once a week, so pick a day when you’re going to do it and stick to it. Ideally you want it to be at the same time of day every week for the sake of consistency, that way you can chart your progress. It is what people do when they attend Weight Watchers meetings, and if it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.

I personally opt for Wednesday mornings after breakfast. Why Wednesday? Well, conveniently my diet started on a Wednesday this year and so was able to record my starting point there and then. However the more practical reason is that if I do let my hair down over the weekend, I’ve still got a couple of days to do something about it before tilting the scales.

Some may question why I eat my breakfast before the weigh in. There is no particular science behind this. I just eat my bran flakes when I wake up and I don’t see any reason to alter my routine. It is a simple question of consistency. Same day. Same time. Same scales. This way you can put trust in the result. If you mix and match when you weigh yourself, there will be variance. Pick a time and stick with it. Certainly don’t go down the route of weighing yourself multiple times per day. Scales are not your friend, so don’t become over familiar with them.

I’ll be posting details of my weigh in tomorrow. Here’s hoping things are moving in the right direction.

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