Fit(bit)ness goals

I remember, it must have been a couple of years ago now, going on a walk with D and my parents out in the Dales. I was just coming to the end of some kind of chesty cold / cough type bug and feeling a little under the weather but nothing that some fresh air and sunshine wouldn’t fix. Well. I soon began to struggle. Any sort of gradient and my chest felt as if it was filling up with phlegm; I was coughing incessantly to try and shift it which not only wasn’t helping but was making breathing difficult. I started to get light headed and, at certain points, was struggling to summon the energy to both cough and put one foot in front of the other. It was horrible. Fortunately, there was a convenient point where the route of the walk intercepted a main road and my Mum and I settled down on picnic table for a hot drink while Dad and D finished and then came up in the car to collect us. So all’s well that ended well and a week or so later, the bug cleared itself up and I was absolutely fine.

But I mention this because I remember at the time thinking about how I have always taken the fact that I am not, particularly, physically restricted and that my distaste for exercise and attendant lack of fitness has never had a massive impact on my life. I have always been fit enough to do what I wanted or needed to do. I can go on walks, even ones with hills, tramp round cities and museums, go up and down stairs. I mean, yes, I’ll probably be redder and sweatier and slower than you, but I can do it. I have never, before or after that walk, actually had to say – you know what, I physically can’t manage this. And I am becoming acutely aware that this is an extraordinarily lucky state of affairs, and one that will not continue indefinitely unless I make some changes to my lifestyle.

I’ve always thought to myself – when I’m slimmer, that’s when I’ll start. I’ll start running. I’ll join a gym. I’ll do a Zumba class. But the weight loss needs to come first. What rubbish. Look at the amazing Lesley –she definitively proves that you don’t need to be pin thin to be incredibly fit and bursting with vitality. Just reading her blog makes me feel tired. But the results speak for themselves – she absolutely glows with health. I want that glow!

And, full disclaimer, I also want lots of Fit Points to shore up my daily and weekly Smart Points allowance. Yeah, come on people, this is always going to come back to the food, isn’t it? But I do think that Fit Points are one of the best things about the WW programme because seeing them build up is a great incentive for greedy cows like me. You have to earn a baseline of 4 points before you can start adding them to your bank (so, for example, if you earn 8 Fit Points in a day, 4 of them will be available for you to eat if you so wish). You don’t have to use them – and, indeed, since starting back on WW I haven’t needed them but the important thing is that they are there.

So I’ve clipped my Fitbit Zip to my bra and I have been making concerted efforts to up my steps. I have tried to incorporate little changes – getting off the bus to and from work a couple of stops earlier, for example, and popping out for a fifteen minute wander at lunchtime. The photos on this post were taken as D and I walked the seven mile Meanwood Valley Trail yesterday afternoon; the first time in a while that we’ve been out walking for walking’s sake. I’ve even dusted off my trainers and fired up the treadmill for a couple of Couch to 5k sessions which I’ve found HARD. But plodding along to an episode of “Queer Eye” or my rather eclectic Spotify “Running” playlist makes it bearable and a friend at work has started doing it as well, the end goal being we go for a run after work and then undo all our hard work with several stiff gins. Hey, whatever works to get me moving, I’ll take it.

In which I re-commit to 5:2

I've been thinking about what I did at the start of the year that worked so successfully.  And what I can add to those techniques in order to be even more successful.  Here's my list so far...

1) A food diary.  Practically every day in January, I carefully recorded what I had eaten.  It might sound a little obsessive but it never took long, and I kind of enjoyed it.  It focuses you; even though no one else was reading it, I wanted the food that I recorded to look good...let's be honest, who wants to actually have to write that they've scoffed half a pack of Hobnobs?

2) Alcohol.  I've mentioned this before, I'm sure.  I love a drink.  But my weight loss noticeably speeds up when I cut it out.  I'm not going to promise to cut if out altogether, but for "5:2 2.0" there will be absolutely none on school nights (unless for a very particular reason) and I will limit consumption at the weekends by focusing on higher quality, low volume.

3) Meal planning.  Whatever diet you're doing, meal planning is pretty key.  I also need to make sure that I'm planning lunches and breakfasts as well - I'd like to limit snacks and treats and a surefire way to do that is to make sure that I'm eating properly at meal times.

4) Ah, yes, snacks and treats.  The odd biscuit or packet or crisps or piece of chocolate is absolutely fine, but I need to keep an eye on consumption levels.  I'd like to limit myself to one "treat" a day, maybe relaxing slightly at the weekends. So that could be a biscuit with an afternoon cup or tea OR a packet of cheeky cheese and onion when I get home OR a few Maltesers after dinner.  Not all three.

5) Exercise.  Yes, this again.  Lesley has nagged me about it before and with good reason - I need to make time for this and commit to a proper programme of activity.  There's a hotel across the road from my office with a proper pool - I'd love to treat myself to monthly membership so that I could fit in some swimming.  I'd also quite like to try some yoga classes, as I think this would help with my anxiety issues as well as being good, gentle exercise,  but I'm not going to shell out a penny until I've proved to myself that I can make exercise part of my schedule.  We have a treadmill in the garage, I have the couch to 5k app on my phone - it's free, it's easy, it's effective there is NO EXCUSE.

I reckon if I can stick to all these edicts, as well as two fast days a week, I can get things moving again in six weeks.  Game face on!

Meal planning, goal setting

Apologies: it all went a bit quiet there.

Excuses time: I've been a little under the weather. So far this year I have had a poorly paw (TM Lesley) and a poorly tooth and now I am suffering with a poorly gallbladder. I say that I'm suffering - I tend to think that D has the worst of it since I've been in a foul mood and my appetite has been a bit all over the place which has impacted on our usual, stringent, food planning. The empty pad on the fridge has been rebuking me all week long. Also - busy with work, blah, blah, blah. I used to get more opportunities to write blog posts at lunchtime.

Anyway, the gallbladder will hopefully be whipped out at some point and in the meantime I need to man up. Firstly - a weight loss update. 1.2 lbs off this week which isn't bad considering that while I started the week eating very little (which helped with fast days), by the end I wanted to gnaw my own arm off. The goal setting of the title refers to the fact that I'd really, really like to hit the mini goal of two stone off by the end of April. It's definitely doable, but I need to keep focused and maybe tighten up a little bit on treats sneaking in to non-fast days.

So what are we up to this week? Well, our cookbook inspiration is being provided by the man himself Yotam Ottolenghi. We are hitting up his "Plenty More" tome for ideas; regular readers may well have heard me rave about "Plenty" in the past so I have high hopes for this. We're fasting Monday and Thursday, we're out for supper on Wednesday and D is out with friends on Friday so I'll probably have beans on toast (with cheese if I'm feeling particularly racy). Not much left to plan, which is a shame because there are loads of dishes in this book that I want to try...

Tuesday: tagliatelle with lemon and walnuts

Saturday: "mezze": dakos, grilled lettuce with farro and lemon, squash with chilli yoghurt and coriander sauce

Sunday: aubergine cheesecake

YUM! Have a fabulous week all - I'm going to occupy myself with planning the bribe (/reward) that I will deserve if I can hit my entirely arbitrary goal.

The 5:2 diet - an initial review

Coming into the holiday period, with far more social engagements popping up than is usual, it is going to be tough over the next few weeks to fit in the requisite fast days so D and I are being relatively easygoing about it. We always knew that this initial stab was going to be experimental and, potentially, shortlived but it has also most definitely proved worthwhile.

Here is what we have learned so far:

Fasting is hard, but not impossible. Sticking to high protein foods such as eggs (D has been eating a lot of hard boiled eggs) and low calorie / high volume items such as cherry tomatoes (surprisingly low for a great, sweet, toothsome return) and keeping well hydrated are essential.

We thought that we would want to “spend” most of our calories on a substantial evening meal, however, on the days where supper happened to come in at less than 200 calories (usually when we’re sharing a tub of fresh soup) that bit of additional flexibility has been most welcome. So we’re going to try and aim for 200 calories or thereabouts in the evening. Soup is perfect for this, if you can get past craving a chunk of bread and butter on the side.

Weight loss is not a given, however much you think you deserve it after two days of feeling a bit cold, hungry and grumpy. We were both slightly up last week despite successfully completing two days of fasting. What you do on non-fast days is just as important as what you do on the fasting ones.

So this is the plan for version 2.0 commencing in January:

A food diary apiece. Keeping accountable, even if it just to a pretty notebook, of what we eat every day will hopefully stop too much extra creeping in. The odd treat is fine, but a non-fast day is not an excuse to pig out. And balance is vital – if you’re having a more indulgent meal than usual (hello, chicken tartiflette) then keep the rest of the day simple and light. It’s just common sense.

And talking of treats, it is especially noticeable this time of year how easy it is to drink your way through excess calories. We both like a tipple or five but we are cutting right back.

One thing that is vital - planning and preparation on fast days. Everything needs to be in place so that we don’t have to think and we don’t have to rely on purchasing food items on the hop.

And exercise – a dirty word as far as I’m concerned but one that I need to get to grips with (how many times have I said that on this blog over the years?) Lesley is doing amazingly well at the moment with little more than a FitBit and a pair of dogs. I don’t think Minx would appreciate being taken for a walk but I have a FitBit that I can dust off and I have a treadmill in the garage so there is no excuse for not upping my steps and getting a bit more active. D has even challenged me to run a 10k by the end of 2017!

I’m really pleased to have a clear plan of action for after the holidays, and also that these last few weeks have seen me shave off a few pounds – not much, by any means, but a start. I have a roadmap in my pocket and I’m going to enjoy Christmas with a clear view of what I need to do once it is all over.

I (do not) heart January

Very January-ish

What I would like to know is who the hell decided that the New Year should start in January?  January is the very, very worst month.  It’s grey and damp and dark and cold and there isn’t a single Bank Holiday on the horizon until Easter.  It is a time of year when no one wants to be getting all gung-ho about healthy eating plans and exercise regimes and productivity goals.  They want to be eating Toblerone on the sofa while catching up on The Bridge or reading their way through the pile of paperbacks that they got for Christmas. 

Just me?  Really?

I want to make 2016 a good year, I really do, but I also want it to start in kind of mid March / April time, when the weather is improving and it is not dark ALL THE TIME and I can remember what it feels like to go out and not have to worry about my hair frizzing up in the damp. 

Still, they don’t let the likes of me decide the calendar.  And so, to tackle January head on.  Yesterday, being the first day back to school was the first day when I actually troubled myself to count points.  I have, for the time being at least, broken away from the official Weight Watchers fold and decided to stick with their (now obsolete) pro points plan, which I have always found works well for me.  If this becomes too difficult then, obviously, I’ll have a rethink.  But thinking, specifically, is what I DON’T want to have to do too much of at the moment, so the devil I know is the preferred option.

Being no longer bound by the Rules of the Gods of WW, I found that I got to the end of the day with 10 points leftover but still, I stopped eating.  WW decrees that you MUST eat ALL your daily points every day or your body will enter STARVATION MODE.  Frankly, after the amount of calories I’ve consumed over the last couple of weeks, I imagine that my system was relieved to have an ease up.  I don’t intend to make a habit of it, but neither do I think it will do significant harm every now and then.  And I woke up this morning actually feeling hungry, which was nice for a change.

I’m not going to set any lofty goals for 2016.  I think, in general, to aim to have more good days than bad is enough.  I would also like to end it lighter and fitter than when I started.  But I would also like to end it richer and happier and cleverer and…with better hair.  I just need to get through January first.