Saturday 7 November 2009

Double chin woes...




Can you have multiple chins? I'm not talking just a double chin... I'm carrying octuplets! And they can't simply be 'hidden' - no matter what makeup websites say!




Over the past few weeks I've been researching how to fix a double chin. While we're not yet tightened (still a bit Alfred Hitchcock like, actually), I am starting to notice a difference.




As you get older, I've found that - contrary to what I thought previously - double chins aren't just weight-related. So simply losing weight won't correct a double chin on its own.




The muscles supporting your chin must be tightened. Luckily, this can be done in a variety of ways: from chewing gum to enjoying a spot of facial yoga.

Low GI glycemic food chart

Whether you're looking to slim down, prevent disease or improve your general health, a glycemic food chart showing low GI foods can help.

At first glance, using glycemic food charts can be quite daunting.

Fortunately there's a lot of help out there on the internet. Check out this link to find out more.

Monday 2 November 2009

Peer Pressure

At work... out at parties... enjoying drinks with friends... Is there nowhere I can go without feeling a bit of peer pressure? To top it all off my safe haven is no longer fatty food free!

My other half has come down to visit for the weekend and - as much as I adore him - I certainly am not enamoured with his eating habits and - more importantly - how they lead me astray.

Now, don't get me wrong. He's by no means a saboteur... more of a foodie who just can't resist sharing his latest discoveries.

So, what's a girl to do?

Not quite sure how but I found the willpower to say yes by saying no. Confused? Well, so was I! I learned that by saying no for 99 per cent of the time, I could say yes every now and again. And, what's more, I managed to convince him to share some of my low fat goodies and modify his choices too!

I guess the moral to the story is: peer pressure goes two ways - for the good and the bad. Rather than be swayed by the bad, why not convert some friends over to the good? The more people on your side the better, I say!

P.S. And my weigh in? This week I registered a loss of 8lbs - dropping from 275 to 267 :)

Wednesday 28 October 2009

What's your type?

Picture your perfect mate... And your dream holiday? We all know our type - right down to the finest details, don't we? Now imagine your ideal diet. A bit fuzzy, isn't it?

This thought came to me while thinking about my recent dieting failures...

There was that time I decided to do low-carb... Forget Atkins' heart attack or the fact that last time I went on it I ended up with kidney infections - I lost a whopping 8 stone on it! My love affair with meat ended quickly as I soon re-discovered the joys of 'meat breath'.

Or when I got in touch with my Independent Woman by joining the Maple Syrup diet brigade. Try that one my friends and you'll never quite look at Aunt Jemima the same way again.

And my self-designed free flow diet where I could eat all I wanted as long as I exercised for an hour a day. Great until you strain a muscle...

The final straw was the public humiliation, I mean weigh-in, at my local weight loss club...

These types of plans might work for some people but I can say with certainty that they don't work for me. When it comes to your health, forget the Princess Diana act. You need to be a bit selfish and realise that not all diets address your individual issues, personality or lifestyle.

And therein lies the problem for me...

I just can't conform. And I guess I'm slightly envious of those who can as it must make life less of a struggle. You know I wish I was able to just go with the flow or be a celeb-type (read anorexic) who couldn't give a damn about eating real food... But I do.

As for exercise, I know that - at least for the first few weeks - I need to get the eating under control before jumping the proverbial - and literal pool.

Basically - I need a plan that can be accurately described as a regime... Not a bread and water dictatorship, per se but certainly one featuring a bit of self-inflicted tough love.

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Recipe of the Week



Like anybody food posessed, I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. But I don't think I'll ever be completely ready to hang up my apron. Which is a good thing as it was not cooking that made me fat... It was cooking the wrong foods (and eating too much of them).
By studying the weight watchers points lists - including the all important zero point foods - I hope to put together some great breakfasts, lunches and dinners which won't break even the tightest points balance.

From time to time I hope to post my successful recipes on here. They might not fall into haute cuisine but they will be low fat, low calorie and low point foods.

Monday 26 October 2009

The lessor of two evils


Since giving up smoking last December, my weight has crept up... In the way an elephant creeps, of course. Now don't get me wrong - I was by no means a skinny minny to start with!

Yes, kids... Although smokers are - on the whole - slimmer than non-smokers, we're not all Kate Moss. For me, poor fitness combined with regular, long journeys and visits with non-smokers resulted in me going through withdrawl (and weight gain) several times a year have resulted in gains. And, to be honest, this was what sent me trading in the cigs for lollipops once and for all. What's the point in gaining 15lbs two or three times a year just because I can't smoke for a week or two. Worse still I could barely address it through physical exercise.

So, where am I now? Well, thanks to discovering a crib sheet from my previous weight-related battles, I can answer that quite confidently. And it certainly makes for interesting reading.

Forgetting the records in between (a diet which succeeded and failed thanks to non-smoking episodes), this chart shows just how many inches have been added through gaining 27lbs over the last 22 months. And, it isn't too bad all things considered.

But what the numbers don't show is the true impact all of this weight. At my age, 37, the ups and downs accompanying this yo-yo dieting has had a terrible impact on my state of health:

  • High blood pressure
  • Oedema
  • Lack of energy
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Poor mood
  • Increased anxiety
  • Depression

And it all goes hand-in-hand. High blood pressure, caused by carrying too much weight and eating an unhealthy diet is leaving me with puffy, swollen ankles and fingers. The strain this is causing on my respiratory system is leaving me breathless and in a poor mood. After all, wouldn't you be anxious and depressed if your body felt tight and your joints felt painful all of the time?

Yeah, you best quickly put aside any notions of those of us carrying extra poundage as 'bubbly' and 'vivacious' (surely they mean voracious)... Being fat doesn't exactly make me jolly!

But I made a promise to myself that when I gave up smoking I wouldn't beat myself up about gaining a pound here or there for the first 6 months. And I haven't...until now. These last ten months have offered the ideal opportunity to understand myself, my cues and the role that my weight has played in my life.

So, what am I going to do about it? As much as I want to adopt diet crazes, fads and pills with religious zeal, I've been around that block a few too many times. And it's taught me that - boring as it sounds - keeping it off for good boils down to two things: healthy eating and regular exercise.

And it needs a lifelong commitment. Despite this, I know I'm goal oriented. I need a goal to strive for... I normally don't do things by half, but I reckon that I need to in this instance. I have set a goal weight of 135lbs or half my current weight.

Along the way I'm hoping to learn and share a trick or two about gaining health - not pounds, so hop on for the ride.


Monday 9 March 2009

Third time's the charm?

Today I saw some photos a friend took of me at the weekend and I just lost it. If there's a rock bottom it's where I'm at now. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For when you hit bottom the only way to go is up.

So, more than two years have passed since I started this journey and where am I? Well, the last year has been filled with changes that have seen the scales climbing higher than they have for more than a decade. Have my weeks of dieting been in vain?


I've been doing a great deal of thinking in recent weeks about the weight issue - mainly as giving up smoking three months ago just pushed my weight up that little bit faster. Now, I've given up giving up smoking in the past due to weight gain. And you know what? It might stop you gaining more, but it certainly doesn't help you shed your added pounds.

So, I've been trying the nonchalant approach to my increased girth. It worked especially well in those pre-xmas weeks but it's wearing thin now. I think (and hope) that I am far enough along with quitting that I can now tackle the weight without undoing those painful early weeks of withdrawl.



Here's what I think about why my weight's on the up... and how I hope to sort it. To help me stick to it, I'm going to think of them as the Golden Rules.



1. If you can walk the distance, do it!

-- Since passing my driving test last April I have found myself lulled into choosing the car for all of my travel needs. Not only is it bad for my waistline, it's bad for my body generally, my son's health and the environment.

2. If you can't make the effort for yourself, don't let that ruin others' health

--My son and dog both deserve - and need - at least a 30 minute non-stop walk each day. Since starting work in June I have found myself arriving home and vegging out on the sofa each night. When the dog does get a 'walk' it tends to be a short one to the field nearby where I simply throw the ball repeatedly without working my legs at all.

3. Breathe in, breathe out and relax

--Rather than sitting at my desk at lunch time, I will endeavour to have at least a 15 minute walk each day to clear my head and destress.

4. Try something new!

-- There are more ways to exercise than aerobics. My hips and knees are particularly bad at the moment with the weight gain, so low impact alternatives will be given priority. But, each month I will attempt at least one new pursuit.

5. Go slow

--Rather than rely on the cooking delights of others who don't cook for you but for their bank balance, explore with food and enjoy the art of slow cooking. Handpicking all ingredients and growing them myself where possible adds a new dimension to the process while removing unnecessary sodium, preservatives and chemicals.

6. Spot the saboteur within

--Yes, I am my own worst enemy. Identifying the cues that lead to falling off the wagon and understanding their roots should kerb their impact on my waistline. Often my girth is directly related to how I'm feeling about my current relationship, workplace stresses or parenting abilities. The more shaky each of those areas look, the wider I grow. Perhaps I am trying to physically make myself appear stronger and sturdier when I'm feeling quite fragile... Or even trying to punish someone for not loving me in the way I need... A bowlful of food can quickly quiet any negative thoughts in the head. So, whatever those throughts, I think I need to deal with them once and for all and avoid shutting them down with a bite to eat.

7. Nourish yourself

--Choose foods that deal with specific problems within the body.

(NB: This one might require a visit to a nutritionist!)

8. Spoil yourself with kindness

--Chocolate and rich foods might make you feel temporarily good. But before indulging think of other ways to make yourself feel even better. How about a self-indulgent soak accompanied by a good back - or even a trashy magazine - in the bath?

9. Don't bottle up

--I am seen by some as a very patient person who just *doesn't* get angry. That's possibly because I shove chocolate or some other food stuff in my mouth at the first rise of the adrenalin. Rather than quash it with food, keep it in or lash out at anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity, I will blog. Writing is, for me, the best release as noone gets hurt and I guess I get to avoid conflicts.

10. You aren't the victim - you are the addict

--No one has forced this food into my mouth. But years of training have allowed me to develop an addictive relationship with food. After a binge I am often sat there in a dulled state - unable to function. It isn't a high - it doesn't feel good. It just doesn't let me feel anything AT ALL. Understanding this negative relationship with food and controlling its impact on your day-to-day life can only help you achieve more in life than ever before.

I used to say that the problem with my addiction was that I had to face food at every corner - whereas with cigarrettes you can give them up and avoid being around them forever. But, my problem isn't with all food... I think it's just the processed, high sugar, high fat offerings. And you know what, I CAN and WILL cut these out because it isn't anywhere as hard as I think it will be.

Other rules will, no doubt, be added in the weeks and months to come. But, there's a real pattern developing here. I think the only way to get on the wagon - and stay on - for good is increasing my activity levels and switching to a natural, homecooked diet. When it comes to food itself, I'm eating a more varied diet than before I started WW and still use low-fat substitutes where possible. I've just added things like chocs and takeaways into the mix...

So, watch this space... I believe it's the start of something fantastic!