Hi all,

Well, the new regime seems to be working well and the pounds are slowly but surely dropping off. Its all about making subtle, but significant changes to my way of like and approach to eating foods. Thanks to the Iphone App that I’ve been using, I’m able to keep close tabs on the balance of foods that I’m consuming and adjust accordingly, its fascinating.

A good friend of mine, Ruth (or Woof as she is affectionately known to me) recently wrote this and has agreed that I can share it with the world.

I hate to burst any bubbles but diets don’t work. 

I have proof in that a friend of mine showed me pictures of her a few years back at 16st 12. She went on the Lighter Life and got down to 8st 7! (She looked effing awful too – was only missing the tattoo on her arm). She is now fighting with her weight again and trying another one of these miracle diets. 

High Protein, Cambridge – whatever they’re called they don’t work because they make you feel deprived and that’s not good for the soul. What’s not good for the soul is not good for you…ah, there’s another one of my favourite inspirational quotes “A little bit of what you fancy does you good” 

If you want to lose weight and be fitter and healthier it needs a shift in mindset and a shift in lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be massive and can be done little at a time. It may not provide instantaneous gratification but will be enduring. 

Starting with the easiest – what you eat.

DO NOT eat or drink any low-fat or “sugar free” food or drink. Sugar free normally means aspartimine otherwise known as “Sweet Poison”. Eat and drink full fat and full sugar just cut it right down. If you have sugar in your tea, drink more water than tea but don’t stop using sugar. If you want a Coke drink full fat Coke less often.

Cut down on alcohol consumption – if you like a drink, don’t force your self to cut it out. Deprivation just makes you want it more and makes it easier to cheat. (that goes for everything)

Eat less but make sure what you do eat is not going to fill you up for five minutes and then leave you hungry again. 

Do not start the day with tea or coffee. Start the day with a large glass of warm (blood temperature) water I do half boiled and half filtered water – a squeeze of lemon makes it refreshing and tastier. Do not drink cold water from the fridge, keep your filtered or shop bought water at room temperature. 

Do not eat fruit after a meal. Fruit will be digested in 20 minutes whereas most other proteins and carbs take 2 hours to digest. By eating fruit after a meal your body is not taking any of it’s nutrients, it sits on top of the undigested food and ferments – causing bloating and not doing anything good for you.

Don’t buy or stockpile biscuits, crisps, cakes or snacks – you’ll know they’re in the cupboards calling your name. If you don’t have them, you won’t miss them and if you do fancy a treat, then treat yourself, pop to the shop and buy yourself something but not all the time. 

Cut out meat as much as you can. Not just red meat, any meat – when you do a shop don’t buy meat at the supermarket. When you decide you’re going to have meat go buy it fresh (preferably from a butcher) and make it organic.

Buy organic fruit and veg. Not only will it taste better it will be more nutritional. 

Reduce your intake of dairy produce. 

Try not to mix proteins and carbs – no jacket potato with cheese or meat, potatoes and veg. Meat and veg – yes. 

If you take any food supplements, vitamins or minerals buy them from a good health food store and make sure they aren’t coated with sugar or contain yeast. Nutri are good and you can buy online.

Do not under any circumstances eat ready meals (even if they are low fat), supermarket cooked chicken, fast food – these are all full of sugar. 

You can just as well knock up a healthy meal in five minutes as easily as you can stick a plastic carton in the microwave. 

Eat out but don’t take away. Avoid take aways. Expensive and shit you may as well go and be waited on and have someone else do the washing up and the time out will do you good.

If you fancy anything that you think is bad/fattening/not good for you – go for it, just eat and enjoy and don’t feel guilty. Just, instead of eating a whole bar of chocolate, eat half the amount, half the time you used to.

Most importantly – forget what your mum said about clearing your plate. Eat until you are full. Not a mouthful over, even if it taste like ambrosia. If it does and there’s some over put it in the fridge, take a doggy bag and have it tomorrow. 

Drink water. Drink lots of water. 

Now the hard bit…

Mindset and words.

Do not refuse a drink or food with the words “No thanks, I’m on a diet” “No thanks” will do.

Do not think you are on a diet.

Do not tell anyone you are on a diet.

You are not on diet – get my drift?

Have a photograph to inspire you – not one of Jodie Kidd or similar model – one of yourself in which you are happy with the way you looked. Look at it often, visualise it. You are what you think, right?

Don’t ever feel despondent or guilty. Your weight will fluctuate and you won’t lose it as quickly as if you were on weight watchers, slimmers world, lighter life or any diet. Then again, you won’t put it on as quickly if you fall off that particular wagon either. 

Always enjoy your food. Don’t eat for the sake of eating. Take time out when you eat, don’t eat at your desk. Eat slowly and smile. Enjoy every morsel. If something is not nice at all – fudge the waste, chuck it out or give it to someone who may like it. I’ve bitten in to cake before and if it’s not nice I just say “That’s just not worth getting fat for”

Obviously exercise is important but it won’t stop you losing weight if you don’t do it. To me it’s the big “E” word and I hate it. All I do is go up and down the stairs (granted more times than I need because I’ve often forgotten what I went up for) and walk my dogs for an hour a day. I don’t do brisk aerobic walking, I just walk.