A Weighty Issue!!

Losing lbs without losing £'s!!

Are you one of those people that put on a few pounds over Christmas or whilst on holiday, but then manage to lose it fairly quickly?  Then go away!! This post is not for you fair weather fatties!  

No this post is for the Men and Women who have more then a few pounds to lose.  Those without the copious amounts of money to have their bodies sucked and stapled, those who do not qualify for the band or bypass, and more importantly for those that have neither the motivation or energy to hurl themselves to the gym at the amusement of the toned and tanned.  And most importantly this is for the ladies who have lost the elasticity and the waistline of their younger years as a consequence of fulfilling one of the main purposes in life ...... children! 

Heaviest weight 

I have struggled with my weight since I was a child and I have been on quite a few diets.  As I entered my mid to late 20's my weight reached a sensible plateau.  But in 2009 my life as I knew it changed forever! The arrival of Bobbi was a joyous one, but not so joyous was the arrival of an extra 3 stone in weight.  Eating for two ended up more like eating for five.  I was resolute during my pregnancy that I would lose any extra weight I gained, however the unexpected snow-induced isolation propelled my weight even further.  This and a lot of denial on my part meant by Christmas 2010 I was 4 stone overweight.  Less then one month later DJ was conceived.  I was terrified that I would get even fatter.  Luckily I had already applied for a Job which turned out to involve a lot of rushing about.  I worked until 41 weeks pregnant and was delighted to find out I had lost a stone and a half by the time DJ was born.  But by the following Easter I had gained half a stone.  The reality hit me when I saw pictures of myself at my cousins wedding, I was horrified!  

Wedding Wobbler

Easter 2012 I decided enough was enough!  I had looked into Weight Watchers and I had heard of The Cambridge, The Dukan and The Atkins.  As I wasn't prepared to pay for signing up to these diets and their products I went back many years to what I learnt from my most successful diet.  It's principles are basic and sensible.  It may not be the quick fix that other diets claim but it has worked for me in the past and it costs virtually nothing.  

The principle is simple.  Cut out alcohol, junk food, sweets and fizzy drinks completely.  Eat less calories daily then the body burns and thanks to modern technology download a handy little calorie app to your phone.  According to online information women burn about 2000 Kcal and men burn 2500Kcal daily.  Based on this I aimed to consume between 1000 and 1500 Kcal daily.  Weigh yourself once a week in the morning.  The hardest thing initially was getting used to how little you can eat with this calorie budget.  I swapped snacks for salad and junk food for healthy options meals.  I counted every calorie of every meal, which was tedious at first but after one week of withdrawal symptoms I was used to the routine and the 'new' foods i.e. foods I considered boring before.  Even though the household arguments increased exponentially that week it appeared that my weight was on the way down as I had lost half a stone.  

Half way there

Now I have never been a gym bunny but I know that keeping active is the key to success because, for me, keeping myself busy distracted me from filling the cake hole.  But there was a snag as I had a highly dependant baby and a demanding toddler that were keeping me virtually housebound.  I got around this problem by gutting the bathroom, working most of the night and during the day when the kids were sleeping.  After 5 weeks I had lost 20lbs and gained an impressive looking bathroom!  The diet by now was established, my energy levels were better and I was determined to keep going.  My aim was to get down to pre-baby weight and a 'healthy' BMI of 24.9.  

'The Last Stone'

Most dieters will tell you this is the longest road.  You are almost there and only literally inches away from your goal!! Unfortunately you are so close that this is where many give up.  They've lost most of the weight and are a few dress sizes smaller.  They look so much better then they did and they feel great.  The problem with the last stone is that your body is now used to the diet so instead of losing 4 pounds a week you may only be losing a pound or two.  It's a lot of effort for little return.  I had been one pound away from healthy BMI for 3 weeks!!!   

There are only two solutions to the last stone 1) starve yourself and 2) get exercising.  Now the first is not only stupid it's pointless because as soon as you start eating properly again your body will go into panic mode and hoard all the fat back into your body (as I have been made to believe).  Option 2 contradicts what I said in paragraph 2 but when you get down to the last stone you will be wanting to show off that sexier body to the gym masses.  Strict aerobic exercise will certainly shift it, but if like me you just can't be arsed with it all I would suggest upping your game on the walks to nursery/school etc.  Either increase the pace or take the long detour home.  If the women out there are feeling really brave then wear small heels as well to get those sofa smoochers firm and bouncy!  

So where am I now?  Well it's 13 weeks since my first weigh in.  I was 200lbs then and I'm 168lbs now.  My BMI is 24.9 so I am officially a healthy weight (just).  I'd like to have some wiggle room for Christmas and holidays so I will try to lose another half a stone.  As I was originally around 224lbs two Christmas's ago I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself right now!!

I have been asked by many people where did I get the willpower to start.  Here is my reply.  First I pictured what my life would look like if I stayed overweight, then I pictured my life as a slimmer mum to my kids.  Funnily enough I pictured myself winning a school sports day egg and spoon race!!  I told myself that it wouldn't be long after I start the diet before my body and mind got used to the changes and I remembered all the pretty clothes I had that I'd be able to get back into (I hadn't seen them for so long it was like getting a whole new wardrobe) and all the pretty shoes I had in storage to go with the pretty clothes .... ooh all those lovely pretty shoes are now back in my wardrobe where they belong :) 

People will have their own reasons for wanting to lose weight.  It's hard at first but once you start it gets easier.  My issue now is keeping the weight (and the husband!) off me :) x

Pre baby weight!