Leave the table feeling a bit hungry
A good performance at the theatre, or TV series, should always leave you wanting a bit more. It’s the same with meals.
I haven’t posted in a while as I haven’t been able to lose the pounds I piled on over Christmas. The weather hasn’t helped and having to cut back on heating due to rising energy costs makes it tougher too. The cold weather can make some of us crave sugar - the body’s demand for fuel to keep warm. Or maybe it’s just a comfort thing when it’s miserable out? Either way I have struggled this year to get my Christmas poundage off and if it’s taught me one cruel lesson it’s this - don’t ever let yourself entirely off the leash because it’s damned difficult to get it back on. No one likes to think that they have to diet for the rest of their lives but I know if I don’t watch my weight obsessively I’ll put it all back on again. I know I will. I always have. I want this time to be different.
It is finally coming off but I’m still not back to my pre-Christmas weight and it’s my birthday in two weeks which means cake! Of course it means cake. And steak. There will be steak (see pic). But cake aside it’ll be a couple of treat meals and some alcohol - I don’t drink much as alcohol gives me heartburn. So no need for my birthday to mean I pile on the pounds as I did over Christmas. This is a big test. Can I let myself off the diet for a day or two and not go so mad I gain nearly half a stone as I did over Christmas!? Basically I am dieting like crazy right now in order to give myself room to put something back on. Crazy is right isn’t it? And I know being obsessed with weight isn’t healthy from a mental health point of view but my mental health is hugely improved when I control my weight and don’t feel it’s getting away from me.
Leave the table hungry!
One of my biggest problems trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight is that I love my food so much when I eat I invariably want more. Oooh that was nice. I could eat that all again is a sentiment I feel pretty much after every meal. But I’ve learned to leave the table feeling I could still eat a bit more but I’m not going to because I know I’ve had enough. That way I’ll eventually curb my appetite so I want less. And I think that’s a much better way to take back control than taking a pill or having an injection that reduces or entirely removes your appetite. I’m no fan of these new potions coming onto the market that do the dieting for you. I like the sense of achievement from doing it all by myself, hellishly difficult though that is at any time in your life but it’s especially so as we get older.
Eat last meal of the day early
I’ve also started having my tea at 5pm. It was once 7.30, then 7pm, then 6.30 then 5.30 and now five. And I find I can cope just fine doing that. I know this isn’t possible for many people but I’m lucky I can eat whenever I want. I delay my breakfast the following day for as long as possible - about 9am is my goal so I go 16 hours without food. A kind of intermittent fasting that’s much gentler than the 5:2 diet which I find impossible to stick to.
I always have a big breakfast - a generous portion of richly-roasted, crunchy peanut butter (no palm oil!) on thick wholemeal, seeded toast. About 400 calories but it keeps me going for ages. Lunch is light. Couple of crispbreads with around 40 grams of blue cheese. Delicious and filling but only 300 calories. Then tea is 450/500 calories. So about 1200 calories a day with coffee on top. And the odd glass of wine, banana, fruit and sometimes a few pieces of darkest chocolate. It’s about 1500 a day all in. A generous allowance but I know from experience if I go too low I end up bingeing as I’ll inevitably have hungry days. I think it’s better for your metabolism if you can lose weight while eating a reasonable amount. Go too low and your body adjusts to a lower amount and it can set up a vicious circle of having to go lower and lower.
That’s all for now. Thanks to my new subscribers for signing up to this newsletter. I appreciate it and I hope it helps you. Spring is nearly here and it’s going to get much much easier. Happy losing.