Today’s one word prompt is “inevitable” which is how likely conversation in our house will usually get back to the subject of diet. We love our food and have wolfed down more hot roasts, cakes and chunky bars of chocolate than a pack of sumos before a honbasho.
Being of a practical mind, when Gill talked to me about losing weight back in October I looked for a simple answer.
After a short session of goo.gling the matter was resolved.
As I see it diet is simply a matter of maths, not focussed diets.
You expend energy by living, about 1500 calories a day.
You take in energy in the form of carbohydrates.
Anything more than the 1500 has to either be burned during activity or turned into fat. (goo.gle it people)
Most food packets show a calorific value or can be referenced via the internet.
So, with a notebook or spreadsheet it is fairly easy to draw up a rough total of the carbs you eat.
Not that complicated surely?
Even chocolate and biscuits can be included in this system.
ie as part of a calorie controlled diet.
Don’t laugh. I’m serious.
The more activity you include in your life the more you can eat and still lose weight.
A plethora of “apps” exist which even equate exercise to calories required (I use a fit.bit).
My biggest breakthroughs were:
a. stop eating crap and the weight falls off – don’t cook in fat, use the toaster, steamer and dry roast food. Chocolate bars at work and huge mounds of biscuit pushed my weight up to 200 pounds.
b. stop eating for half the day and your body retrains itself to use its blood sugar and fat supplies. After 7pm its nil by mouth until breakfast.
c. get off your backside and take a walk, swim, zumba … whatever floats your boat. I walk five miles at a time logging it on Str.ava and share it on my s.networks. My daughter has started going to gym twice a week and Gill walks into town wherever possible.
The last revelation is how much we lie to ourselves and others about what we eat.
Get real.
Share your victories (Gill and Hev go to a slimming club and I just bore people rigid about my loss) and be honest with yourself.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
And the results?
Gill has lost 29 pounds since early October, I’m 19 pounds lighter and Heather is heading for a stone less than she was.
No fads.
No lies.
Just do more, eat less.
And yes you can include custard creams as part of a “calorie controlled diet”.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
