Did you know that butterflies don't eat? Basically, a caterpillar spends its entire time scoffing itself silly, then it goes into a chrysalis and then, when it emerges as a butterfly, it has so much fuel in reserve from its earlier indulgences that it doesn't need to eat at all and can just focus on the business of procreation.
One wonders why it doesn't work the same way with fat humans. I mean, if you've eaten an excess of fuel such that it is stored on your arse or your thighs or wherever, surely you should be able to just stop eating and make use of your stores without any detriment to your health.
There is a point to this, honest. And the point is - I really hit a wall this weekend, and, for the first time since the last of my latest WW campaign, found things tough going. It wasn't an issue with hunger or food, more that I just felt absolutely drained of any energy whatsoever. We set off for a walk first thing on Saturday morning and every step felt like an effort, where the previous weekend it had been easy. I had a nap on Saturday afternoon. Then I had an early night. Then I had a nap on Sunday afternoon followed by another early night. I was the Incredible Sleeping Woman.
Because worrying is one of my favourite hobbies, I immediately started worrying that I was coming down with some sort of terrible sleeping sickness. But then I actually decided to use my brain a little bit and considered that:
a) I am eating a calorie restricted diet at the moment, thereby reducing the amount of fuel that I am taking in and
b) I am upping my activity and thus increasing the amount of fuel that I burn and
c) I am not a butterfly.
Clearly, I do not wish to spend every weekend in bed. Well, I sort of do - not for nothing is the sloth my spirit animal. But it is sort of nice to go out and do stuff. So I'm going to monitor the situation. If things don't improve then obviously something needs tweaking - either I need to eat more or I need to eat differently or maybe scale back on the general steps and concentrate my energy on finishing the Couch to 5k programme. That may, of course, mean that my weight loss slows down, which is absolutely fine - I'd rather half a pound a week* but sustainable in the long term than get to goal by Christmas** and pile it all back on again by Easter.
*Feel free to remind of this when I lose half a pound at my next weigh in and moan about it.
**Not going to happen unless I literally lop off several limbs, but you get my point.
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 August 2018
Friday, 17 August 2018
Friday miscellany
I have been dieting for...well, pretty much my entire adult like and I STILL cannot decide whether or not daily weighing is a good thing or a bad thing.
I like that it is a mini resolve boost every morning. But it doesn't matter how much I tell myself that day to day fluctuations are unimportant, that it is the overall trajectory that is the key, if the number goes up and there is no good reason for it, it sticks in my bloody throat. I was up 0.6 lbs this morning despite that fact I was a point under my dailies yesterday AND did over 12,000 steps. I KNOW that I did not suddenly acquire half a pound of fat somewhere, that it was one of those little fluctuations that happen perfectly naturally, but you try telling my puny little monkey brain that. It's throwing a tantrum and demanding a bacon roll to cheer itself up. Sigh.
**
Speaking of daily points - I haven't even lost a stone yet and I've already dropped two points from my daily allowance, such that I am now on the very lowest one. The weeklies will be next to go - and they disappear in chunks of seven. My leader...sorry, coach we are supposed to call them now...tells me it is a GOOD THING when you lose points because it means that you're doing something right. I beg to differ.
**
Did I tell you that I've signed up to do a 5k race in December? Let's pause and let that sink in a second. Me. Running 5k. In public. With a number pinned to my chest. Well, not my actual chest but...
I decided that it had to be done and so I picked a Christmas themed race, along a flat route, where entrants are promised mulled wine and chocolate baubles at the end. I plan to wear reindeer ears (cooler than a Santa hat. Not cooler as in down-with-the-kids cool but cooler in the actual sense). But I'm still at the stage where the thought of doing it makes me laugh nervously. I'm well on with the Couch to 5k, so I should be completely ready in three months times but..hahahahahahaha.
**
Current fad: flavour infused coffees. This one, which I bought from Holland and Barrett, is delicious:
They don't contain any calories or sugar so, unsurprisingly, are not very sweet. If you're expecting a full on mocha effect you may be disappointed. But a really pleasant way of zuzzing (is that how you spell it) up one's morning coffee when one is trying to avoid the siren call of the Starbucks just next door to the office. I've currently got one by Beanies, a chocolate cherry flavour, which I don't think is quite as good and is slightly more expensive, but they have a much larger range and I can't help thinking that gingerbread infused coffee would be perfect come December time. You know, a few months down the line when we're talking about Christmas and I'm PREPARING TO RUN 5K IN PUBLIC. Yeah, then.
**
Happy weekend tout le monde!!!
I like that it is a mini resolve boost every morning. But it doesn't matter how much I tell myself that day to day fluctuations are unimportant, that it is the overall trajectory that is the key, if the number goes up and there is no good reason for it, it sticks in my bloody throat. I was up 0.6 lbs this morning despite that fact I was a point under my dailies yesterday AND did over 12,000 steps. I KNOW that I did not suddenly acquire half a pound of fat somewhere, that it was one of those little fluctuations that happen perfectly naturally, but you try telling my puny little monkey brain that. It's throwing a tantrum and demanding a bacon roll to cheer itself up. Sigh.
**
Speaking of daily points - I haven't even lost a stone yet and I've already dropped two points from my daily allowance, such that I am now on the very lowest one. The weeklies will be next to go - and they disappear in chunks of seven. My leader...sorry, coach we are supposed to call them now...tells me it is a GOOD THING when you lose points because it means that you're doing something right. I beg to differ.
**
Did I tell you that I've signed up to do a 5k race in December? Let's pause and let that sink in a second. Me. Running 5k. In public. With a number pinned to my chest. Well, not my actual chest but...
I decided that it had to be done and so I picked a Christmas themed race, along a flat route, where entrants are promised mulled wine and chocolate baubles at the end. I plan to wear reindeer ears (cooler than a Santa hat. Not cooler as in down-with-the-kids cool but cooler in the actual sense). But I'm still at the stage where the thought of doing it makes me laugh nervously. I'm well on with the Couch to 5k, so I should be completely ready in three months times but..hahahahahahaha.
**
Current fad: flavour infused coffees. This one, which I bought from Holland and Barrett, is delicious:
They don't contain any calories or sugar so, unsurprisingly, are not very sweet. If you're expecting a full on mocha effect you may be disappointed. But a really pleasant way of zuzzing (is that how you spell it) up one's morning coffee when one is trying to avoid the siren call of the Starbucks just next door to the office. I've currently got one by Beanies, a chocolate cherry flavour, which I don't think is quite as good and is slightly more expensive, but they have a much larger range and I can't help thinking that gingerbread infused coffee would be perfect come December time. You know, a few months down the line when we're talking about Christmas and I'm PREPARING TO RUN 5K IN PUBLIC. Yeah, then.
**
Happy weekend tout le monde!!!
Sunday, 5 August 2018
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.
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.
 |
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.
 |
Monday, 7 May 2018
MPM: 8th May 2018
I know life is busy, but at the very least I should be making times for meal planning posts. I mean, it is a basic right of all my beloved readers to hear about what I am eating, is it not?
I jest, and although I always feel that the first post after something of a pause should contain an apology for the blogger’s absence, it is something of a liberty to assume that people notice or care. Apart from my Mum, who texts me asking where the blog is. But she’s my Mum, and is therefore contractually bound to consider everything I do important and special.
The truth is that the last few weeks have been busy and stressful. We’ve not been sticking to 5:2 particularly and any weight loss has most definitely stalled - boo. Things should be improving now though, so we approach the new week with renewed vigour. I am also seriously considering signing up for a 5k run to incentivise me to actually complete the Couch to 5k programme. Every time I have started it, I have actually quite enjoyed the session but it is finding the motivation to trek out to, er, the garage in the first place which is proving tough (and yes, reading that back I know EXACTLY how pathetic it sounds). There’s one in a local park in mid July but I’m fretting that might be too soon as I need 8 weeks to do all the training runs and would then like to have at least a month of consolidation, including some Park Runs, to feel confident going in to the actual, organised event. So I might see if anything is going on in late August or early September. A lot of my colleagues are quite into running and from chatting to them I have gleaned that there are quite a lot of events going on from which to choose.
And so to meal planning. D has spent the last couple of days doing some serious batch cooking, so the garage freezer is now stocked with umpteen Merguez sausages and several pots of chilli. Our goal for the rest of the month is to try and eat down the indoor freezer. I’ve been desperate to own a Smeg fridge for quite some time now, and we’ve agreed that since we can’t afford to do the kitchen renovations we crave at the moment, we can at least splash out on a pretty fridge to make the space slightly more attractive. I mean, how beautiful is this?
Anyway, this is a convoluted way of trying to explain why sausages pop up not once but twice this week, albeit in different guises.
Monday: a bank holiday fast day - soup.
Tuesday: to celebrate the lovely weather, I suggested a salad. So tonight there is going to be some element of shredded veg and then some sort of satay dressing, probably with noodles and definitely prawns. This dinner is still rather at the concept stage.
Wednesday: already looking set to be a shocker of a day for me work wise. So I suggested something simple but oh so comforting with a half pack of sausages lurking in the freezer - the good old sausage sandwich. D is to contrive some sort of red onion marmaladey accompaniment.
Thursday: more soup.
Friday: a summery fish dish. Again, this evening is still rather at the concept stage.
Saturday: I am cooking the books, the book in question being Diana Henry’s latest (“How to Eat a Peach”) and the dish in question being crab, saffron and tomato tart.
Sunday: Merguez sausage stew with couscous.
Happy cooking and eating all!
I jest, and although I always feel that the first post after something of a pause should contain an apology for the blogger’s absence, it is something of a liberty to assume that people notice or care. Apart from my Mum, who texts me asking where the blog is. But she’s my Mum, and is therefore contractually bound to consider everything I do important and special.
The truth is that the last few weeks have been busy and stressful. We’ve not been sticking to 5:2 particularly and any weight loss has most definitely stalled - boo. Things should be improving now though, so we approach the new week with renewed vigour. I am also seriously considering signing up for a 5k run to incentivise me to actually complete the Couch to 5k programme. Every time I have started it, I have actually quite enjoyed the session but it is finding the motivation to trek out to, er, the garage in the first place which is proving tough (and yes, reading that back I know EXACTLY how pathetic it sounds). There’s one in a local park in mid July but I’m fretting that might be too soon as I need 8 weeks to do all the training runs and would then like to have at least a month of consolidation, including some Park Runs, to feel confident going in to the actual, organised event. So I might see if anything is going on in late August or early September. A lot of my colleagues are quite into running and from chatting to them I have gleaned that there are quite a lot of events going on from which to choose.
And so to meal planning. D has spent the last couple of days doing some serious batch cooking, so the garage freezer is now stocked with umpteen Merguez sausages and several pots of chilli. Our goal for the rest of the month is to try and eat down the indoor freezer. I’ve been desperate to own a Smeg fridge for quite some time now, and we’ve agreed that since we can’t afford to do the kitchen renovations we crave at the moment, we can at least splash out on a pretty fridge to make the space slightly more attractive. I mean, how beautiful is this?
Anyway, this is a convoluted way of trying to explain why sausages pop up not once but twice this week, albeit in different guises.
Monday: a bank holiday fast day - soup.
Tuesday: to celebrate the lovely weather, I suggested a salad. So tonight there is going to be some element of shredded veg and then some sort of satay dressing, probably with noodles and definitely prawns. This dinner is still rather at the concept stage.
Wednesday: already looking set to be a shocker of a day for me work wise. So I suggested something simple but oh so comforting with a half pack of sausages lurking in the freezer - the good old sausage sandwich. D is to contrive some sort of red onion marmaladey accompaniment.
Thursday: more soup.
Friday: a summery fish dish. Again, this evening is still rather at the concept stage.
Saturday: I am cooking the books, the book in question being Diana Henry’s latest (“How to Eat a Peach”) and the dish in question being crab, saffron and tomato tart.
Sunday: Merguez sausage stew with couscous.
Happy cooking and eating all!
Sunday, 16 July 2017
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.
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!
Friday, 26 February 2016
Sloth
I have never been a big fan of exercise, being more akin to a sloth than any other creature in God's green Earth. My nickname is not Sleepy Slouj for nothing.
What I really want though (really, really, want) is to have a healthy, balanced approach to not just food but life in general, and exercise and fitness have to play a part in that, however much I would like to hide away from it (preferably in a pillow fort with my cat).
Recently, a friend of mine (well, I suppose officially she is a friend of D's but I am nicking her because she is the only person I know who gets as overexcited as me at the prospect of a Space NK discount code) tentatively suggested going to a class at the local fitness centre, on the strict proviso that we stand at the back. The class in question was Clubbercise, which is basically just prancing around in the semi dark with disco lights and glow sticks. It is waaaay more fun than doggedly stomping away on a treadmill. And, subsequently, we have tried Aqua Aerobics (which I also love although have to spend most of the class attempting to stop my boobs making a break for freedom) and Kick Fit (great stress reliever).
I won't go so far as to say that I am a gym bunny, but I do find classes to be quite motivating and it is lovely to have someone to go with. I have gone so far as to sign up for a monthly membership (the rolling kind which can be cancelled at any point - I know myself and the limits to my enthusiasm pretty well). I'm very unfit at the moment, but I hope a few weeks of regular attendance will see a marked improvement. Now that the weather is becoming distinctly more spring like, I'm hoping to get my walking boots on and if I could get up a hill without sounding like The Little Engine That Could, I would count that as a major achievement.
 |
| Sloth. Or me? Image taken from https://gifts.worldwildlife.org |
Recently, a friend of mine (well, I suppose officially she is a friend of D's but I am nicking her because she is the only person I know who gets as overexcited as me at the prospect of a Space NK discount code) tentatively suggested going to a class at the local fitness centre, on the strict proviso that we stand at the back. The class in question was Clubbercise, which is basically just prancing around in the semi dark with disco lights and glow sticks. It is waaaay more fun than doggedly stomping away on a treadmill. And, subsequently, we have tried Aqua Aerobics (which I also love although have to spend most of the class attempting to stop my boobs making a break for freedom) and Kick Fit (great stress reliever).
I won't go so far as to say that I am a gym bunny, but I do find classes to be quite motivating and it is lovely to have someone to go with. I have gone so far as to sign up for a monthly membership (the rolling kind which can be cancelled at any point - I know myself and the limits to my enthusiasm pretty well). I'm very unfit at the moment, but I hope a few weeks of regular attendance will see a marked improvement. Now that the weather is becoming distinctly more spring like, I'm hoping to get my walking boots on and if I could get up a hill without sounding like The Little Engine That Could, I would count that as a major achievement.
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