Eat Less Live More

This is my story on losing weight. Sometimes stories don't finish how you would like them to.

The motivation to lose weight came following a visit to the doctor's and a review of my blood test results. During that meeting I decided to lose weight and to reduce my alcohol consumption for 3 months. When I asked how to lose weight his response was to adopt a mainly vegetable diet. Not so enlightening advice. The following describes some of the strategies I used in the first month that did result in good weight loss over 4 kg (8.8 lbs.) ... and then 'Christmas' came along.

Take two... I am thinking of restarting my weight loss journey. This time with less enthusiasm, maybe with the same approach we have with many things in our lives - just do what needs to be done.

Take three... Have now embarked on the weight loss journey again, progress is starting to be made ...

Value Diary App

Vegetables, Fruit, fish Ect. Ect.

Quick Oats, Blueberries, Eggs.

Ginger and Lemon tea

My Doctor's advice to eat more vegetables in my diet was 'on the money'. You may have already heard of the 'Five', 'Two' slogan. Eat 5 portions of vegetables a day and 2 of Fruit. This starts with buying vegetables and fruit and having them readily available at home. Another technique is to 'sneak' extra vegetables into your cooking and meals. For example, if you like to have scrambled eggs for breakfast, also include a tomato and maybe some spinach on the side. Want a snack? Keep a stack of carrot and celery stick in the fridge.

There's a saying in business that 'you get what you measure'. This is also true when losing weight, track what you eat and how many 'portions' you consume.

I found the 'Value Diary' app useful and convenient way of tracking what I was eating. It gives a daily points total, which I would aim to keep under. It works by having different number of points for each food you eat and recording the food you eat along with the points. The app sets a target number of points for each day based on your current weight and you aim to meet this pro-points amount. You can record favorite foods along with their points. This makes using the app easy.

(I am always keeping a record of my 'pro-points' consumed every day on take 3 and am serious in keeping under my daily points target).

Measure and record is helped by having some electronic scales to measure 'portions' as listed on the packets of most foods. This also helps in accurate recording into the 'Value Diary' app. Measuring cups for portion control are also useful.

(Not weighing food as much on take 3 but am always using the aluminum measuring cup to measure oats when having porridge).

Read the serving size recommendations on food packages and follow them even if sometimes they are smaller than you would like. I did this for the first month.

(Not doing it so much on take 3).

During the first month I would stand on my bathroom scales and then record my weight in a notebook once a week. I haven't done this for the past 2 weeks. Probably because I don't think I will like what they say. Avoiding weighing yourself is a sign you are probably putting weight on.

(Out of date - On take 3, I am weighing myself once a week and recording the weight).

During my first month I would keenly read the nutrition shown on packets and cans. Aiming especially for low salt and low Trans-fat and less sugar.

(Doing this a bit on take 3)

These a variety of ways to cook vegetables. During 'the month' I even tried roasting some Brussel sprouts in an air dryer. I would use a 'finger guard' when slicing carrots and cucumbers. Haven't sliced a carrot for a while now.

(Have tried substituting spaghetti with strings of zucchini in a meal on take 3. Worked well)

This is a good one for me: cook a number of portions at the same time and freeze most of them. I have a slow cooker which I would sometimes cook 10 portions in and afterwards freeze 8. This made it easy to just grab a meal from the freezer compartment of my fridge, add in a pack of steamed vegetables and have a tasty meal. I miss these, as without an easy meal available I have been going for Vegemite and cheese sandwiches. Oh well...

(Have been avoiding eating bread and pasta as much as possible during take 3, I will bulk up a meal by adding in more vegetables. Have found Broccoli to be a good vegetable to add more of.)

Cook your own meals. During my month of losing weight, I was enthusiastically doing this, now it seems a bit daunting. Still - there is a bean dish I have been meaning to make. Maybe I will get a 'Round tuit'. Hang about, I already have one...

(I have been doing this more times than not on take 3)

If you receive a large take away meal, split it in two. This way it halves the cost per meal and gives you a meal for later. You can also normally ask for a container to take what you don't eat when visiting a restaurant. Some people can even leave food behind on their plate. I prefer to give it to someone else or take it with me.

(I have been splitting meals, saving half for the next day a number of times during take 3).

There was a recipe on the lentil pack which made a tasty soup, been meaning to make it again...

I enjoyed the meal I made during the month of losing weight, plan to make it again.

(Have made this meal a number of times on take 3, Good one for freezing portions and then having one when required. Tasty too.)

Have you heard about a 5-2 diet? Basically, you eat as normal 5 days of the week and on 2 days you don't eat much. My approach to it was to have just a small coffee for breakfast and then just a mango protein-shake for lunch, one day a week ... Not really sure if this approach is for me.

(I am not doing this on take 3).

Yeah, avoid if you a serious about losing weight. I found drinking alcohol slowed/stopped my progress on the weight loss journey in a couple of ways:

• Hidden calories. Drinks are a bit deceptive as not been food it's easy not to realize how many hidden calories they contain. This also applies to soft drinks and fruit juice.

• Motivation zapper. Having a few beers seem to make my weight loss resolve disappear and what I eat changes too, snacking on crackers and dips. The day after a 'big session' portion control pretty much goes out the window.

(I have been completely avoiding drinking alcohol during take 3.)

I would like to say it's been a plain sailing losing weight, but my journey took a detour after a month of making excellent progress. I had stopped drinking alcohol beverages in the first month, was walking about 8000 steps a day and always recording what I had to eat and drank in the food diary app.

So, what happened? I had a couple of beers meeting a friend I hadn't seen for a while - at a craft brewery, with the intention of limiting the days having a drink - the first week this happened and then the holidays arrived, the daily walks stopped. And then recording what I ate and drank stopped. My resolve which was strong at the beginning seems to have gone, so how to turn this around? It continues ... have stopped recording what I eat on the app and this week didn't weigh myself on the scales. Too scared to see the results, I guess. The alcohol consumption is back to where it was. Haven't been doing any walks. Haven't been cooking for myself either, been going up the road for a takeaway meal...

(Now on take 3 and am making progress...)

Lossing weight is a mind game. The motivation for this restart is: 'because I can'. I aim to keep to the points goal (See app described in step 2) for one day, once I achieved this my next goal was for 3 days, then 5 and then one week. Agreements I had made with myself:

• Stay off alcohol.
• Do 40 minutes of some form of exercise each day. This will normally be going for a 40-minute walk in the morning.
• Drink only one coffee a day - most days this is a 'Picolo' (Expresso with a little milk). Only drink skim milk. Avoid soft drinks, though soda water with no sugar is fine.
• Keep within the daily 'points' for each day as recorded in the 'value diary app'.

I am now almost 3 weeks into my (restart) weight loss journey and I have been sticking to the daily goals of keeping under the daily apps points total and going for a 40-minutes' walk everyday (sometimes I ride my bike instead). Have stayed off alcohol and only being having just one piccolo coffee a day. I have avoided bread and pasta, although this has been to help stay under the daily points total. Have been drinking more cups of ginger and lemon tea, I like this tea as it has a bit of a 'bite' to it. Found I have made the lentil and beans soup a couple of times as its filling and portions can be frozen for a ready meal. Have had half a meal and saved the other half for the next day while at a restaurant - most will give you a box to take the remainder with you, if you ask. I have been weighing myself once a week and am hopeful to have reduced my weight by 3 kg (6.6 lbs.) when I next weigh myself on day 21.

The walking is to encourage my mental resolution to stay within my daily goals rather than to burn calories. I find while alcohol hinders my mental resolution, exercise assists with it.

I have booked a holiday for 2 weeks in about three weeks' time. The aim on the holiday will be not to go backwards. I will be drinking beer but plan to keep the 40-minute daily walks happening.

Week 4 update: I continue to follow the weight loss journey. Just achieved the goal of reducing to be below 100 Kgs (220 lbs). Next goal is to continue losing weight until I go on holiday in 2 weeks' time. Then the aim is not to increase weight while traveling and visiting craft pubs. I have also started to show up at my company's weekly fitness class, more to just go through the motions than to increase strength.

Week 5 update: Have been going to the fitness class 3 times a week, afterwards it does lift the mood and this assists with watching what I eat and staying on track. Weight loss is continuing - though I can see the challenge will be during and after the holiday break.

Week 6 update: In 2 days time my holiday starts. The goal is to be at or slightly below the weight I left on. Just eat and drink a little 'mindfully'. I.e. with awareness.

Week 9 update: Well managed to return from my holiday at about a similar weight (maybe a little more) but in the week home, from my tracking of what I eat and drink shows I am going backwards. Looks like I probably need to stay off beer and alcohol in general to lose weight.