In this take for the #BATTLEROYALE , I looked at ways to jazz up the title but there is no way around it. The take is just about my diet and health drive of last year. I will give a few tips to what worked for me and maybe they might work for somebody else. Last year in the early summer I must have been tipping the scales around the 200 lbs mark, I knew from looking at myself that it wasn't healthy and I wasn't feeling fit.
Disclaimer:
Everyones' weight and fitness changes at different rates. If you feel you are very over or under weight before starting a health drive to change your weight, please check with a doctor.
(1a) My Initial Analysis :- The first thing I had to decide was to work out where I wanted my weight to be. I decided on 155/160 lbs so I had to lose 40/45 lbs.
(1b) The Timeframe :- I thought that I would do it slow and steady rather than a crash diet that could possibly lead to a YoYo effect.
(1c) My Mindset :- I decided on a 6 month timescale figuring that most people would live to be around 75 so 6 months is less than 1% of your life. I thought about treats and decided that I would be only teasing myself to have occasional treats so I went hardcore until I hit my target. I think it is a good idea to line up a reward for yourself when you reach your target , new clothes , a trip away or something.
(1d) Bad Habits :- In the main, I had a healthy diet but I had bad habits of snacking in front of the TV and enjoying alcohol. So for the six months, complete ban on alcohol and snacks, just healthy food. Just drink water and some diluted unsweetened fruit drink as opposed to sodas.
I work from home so I had a good chance to control my diet. No takeaways, No prepared meals from the supermarket (Usually full of junk), Plenty of lean meat, fruit and vegetables. As I said I thought I ate fairly healthily but I realised that my portions were huge so there are plenty of sites on the net to calculate what a person by height, gender, weight and age needs in calories to maintain that weight plus a weight loss calculator of fewer calories to get to that weight safely. I got my weight loss calorie figure and starting reducing my portions every few days, it may take 10 or more efforts to do this and several weeks to get to the lower calorie level but you are in essence training your body to cope with a reduced food intake. Another good hint is loads of fluids and don't eat anymore after your last main meal around 6pm.
You might as well exercise a bit to go with your new body. I used to play soccer once a week now I asked my friends to play more than once, go for runs, cycles and swims. Instead of going out to dinner, do something active. If you have had a previously sedentary lifestyle, start off slowly, go for walks and as the walks get longer, a bit brisker, think about starting to run, doing something active with your friends. If you commute to work on a train or a bus, how far is second nearest stop from your work, an extra mile, nice walk. If you drive, park your cark and walk to that shop a bit further away for a newspaper or your lunch. Is there a park nearby for a nice walk at lunch, use the stairs instead of the elevator for a couple of floors at work.
For me as I got onto the plan, I noticed the first few weeks were usually a 4 lb loss, the odd 5 lb then that reduced to a 3 lb loss then 2lb and last few weeks could be as little as 1 lb a week. I first weighed myself after a couple of weeks of no bad habits at 192 lbs and after the 6 month health drive, I got down to 157 lbs and was happy with how I looked, how fit I felt. I shifted to a weight maintenance plan and a new calorie figure to stay at between 160/165 lbs. One of the odd things is I haven't gone back to my treats at all. I hardly ever drink alcohol, eat sweet stuff anymore and I prefer healthy food to rich food now.
One last tip as an appeal to vanity or madness but I used take a new selfie every week and put it on my Facebook profile. My friends used to laugh at me and say I was worse than a teen with all my selfies. I used to say it was a way for me to appreciate my progress by looking at the gallery from week to week.
Conclusion:
There were times when it felt hard but it was so worth it. I feel so much better now, fitter and happier. I heartily recommend a health drive to anyone who feels like they need it and can do it (heartily pun intended).
Thanks for reading.
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