How Hitler Helps Me Lose Weight

?Starting weight - 17 stone 3 pounds.

Current weight – 16 stone 5 pounds

Loss to date – 12 pounds or 24 packs of Guernsey butter (approx.)

Blog 4 in my journey metamorphosing from the ugly duckling into a swan, from a 17 stone fat bloke into a much slimmer and healthier 14 stone Olympian (yeah right!! – Ed) from Mr Blobby into the Invisible Man.

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Ok, the Olympic Games might be one step too far as I only began my transformation 3 or so weeks ago, and I'm 65, but as you can see from my weight loss, I am on track. I certainly feel much better, energised, and motivated and my confidence is growing rather than shrinking.

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This is a dangerous period though. Many is the time I’ve thrown in the towel after 3 weeks when the lure of the late-night glass or three of Rioja accompanied by toast and marmalade, has been too strong. In my own personal odyssey, the sirens in my fridge normally sing and lure me to my doom. Not this time though. I appear to have tied myself to the mast of self-discipline which even I’m impressed with!

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So far you will have read about my treatment with the fantastic Emsculpt Neo machine which I was introduced to by Bronwen Dudley-Owen at the Guernsey Skin & Beauty Clinic. They have the only machine of its type in Guernsey and I am soon to have my final half hour session. The machine delivers heat and magnetic energy which reduces body fat and helps more muscle growth. Just what I need to help tackle my belly fat!

If you’ve just had a baby and want to get your figure back, if you’re an athlete and want to get into shape but your injury won’t allow you, or if you just need an extra helping hand to shift those unwanted love handles give it a try. Read my blog here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/jim-delbridge-3719aa236_read-the-second-episode-in-my-challenge-to-activity-7084446774861410304-DEvz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

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I have also written about my meeting with Dr Noemi Varadi and the bespoke nutritional plan she has written for me. Read about that here:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/you-what-eat-jim-delbridge%3FtrackingId=a%252FbN0fjQRxzIkshbvKMWlg%253D%253D/?trackingId=a%2FbN0fjQRxzIkshbvKMWlg%3D%3D

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That’s going well, although I was at a wedding recently at the OGH and the food we were served looked so delicious I had a momentary lapse when I was cornered and chatted up by a couple of very attractive roast potatoes. I’m only human.

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But I had no alcohol! It’s a big test for a regular red wine drinker to attend a social occasion where everyone is drinking except you! I diverted myself from thinking about it by examining every painting on the restaurant wall and ranking them in order of preference. "Why is Jim looking at that old painting so intently?" Yes, sad I know, but it worked.

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The good news is that my alcohol ban is just for the first three weeks of my diet plan and I will be allowed a ‘sensible’ amount once that is over, which is this weekend. Hallelujah!!

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Among my circle of friends, I am known for intermittently taking a year at a time off the booze. I think I have done it three times now. Yes, 12 months without Rioja!! ?It’s about taking back control of your life and not basing every weekend around alcohol. Anyone who has done Dry January will know how hard the first three or four weeks on the wagon can be. But it then gets much easier. Your mind adapts and you learn to look forward to other things. Those first few weeks are a nightmare though!

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Today I want to write about my exercise regime. As previously reported, I have hardly ever been to a gym and my brain is still not ready for one. In the future you may hear me trying something a little more ambitious but as it’s best to walk before I run, my chosen form of exercise is the long, daily dog walk.

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Everyone must find the time to build exercise into their lives and decide on the best and most appropriate part of the day that suits their personality and lifestyle. Some of you will have physical jobs which require you to exercise and burn calories while being paid. Lucky you. I don’t have that.

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For me it’s the evening walk. It’s cooler, there’s less traffic and as I am eating much later to fight my sugar cravings, it is a welcome distraction. Despite years of having to get up at “dark o’clock” to present radio programmes I have never been an early bird. Too many late-night gigs with the band, packing the gear down and not getting home until the wee, small hours is probably to blame. So, the evening dog walk is my exercise of choice. I know it’s not running a half-marathon but it’s a start.

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Our house is in a lovely area at Pleinheaume but walking the same lanes every day can get a bit ‘samey’. Also, if I start and finish at our house then I have an opportunity to cheat by ending the walk early or taking a shorter route which is not allowed. It’s mind over matter and my brain can be quite sneaky if I don’t take control. So, I always ask Jo to drop Daisy and myself at a place that gives me an interesting 50 minute to an hour walk home. Favourites include Beaucette and Grandes Rocques.

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“What has any of this got to do with Hitler?”, I hear you ask. Well, I could have said Little Feat, Chvrches or the Rockonteurs but I chose Adolf. I subscribe to Spotify Premium, the music, podcast and audiobook streaming service. It is an invaluable tool for me and I’m using it now as I type this blog listening to Elbow “Leaders Of The Free World”

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It’s amazing how walks fly by when I’m engrossed in something coming through my Bluetooth headphones. I’ve made great music playlists which can keep me entertained for hours. My son Jake bought me a membership to Audible for a Father’s Day present – for my free book I chose “The Second World War” by Antony Beevor. It charts the rise of Hitler to the eventual German surrender in 1945. The blurb says: “A magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known by our foremost military historian!”

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Not everyone’s cup of tea I agree. But, for a sad, history junkie like me it’s the perfect distraction. I’ve lost count of the times I have ‘woken up’ at L’Islet not remembering walking along Chouet or Ladies Bay at all. Somehow, I was mentally sucked into the deserts of North Africa, the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden or the Cabinet War Rooms in Westminster. The audiobook transports me to another time and place!

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As I have said in previous blogs, and to continue the military theme for a moment longer, when attempting to lose weight the battles take place in the mind. Any logistical support you can give it to ‘win the war’ will be of significance and talking books and podcasts do that for me.

Incidentally, you might want to check out the podcast I make with Steve Foote for the Priaulx Library called ‘Guernsey Life & Times’. It’s all about local history and is designed to be the length of a dog walk so is around 45 minutes in duration. If you are interested in Guernsey’s past, you can find it on Spotify and other platforms. Go on ! Try it!

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Conclusion: Get help where you can (and not just from Hitler) to achieve your aims. Be strong but kind to yourself, and don’t set yourself goals that are so extreme, they can’t be achieved. You’re just setting yourself up for a fall.

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Hopefully the weight loss will continue and I can start wearing some of those lonely, rejected shirts in my wardrobe by the time you read blog 5.

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Thanks again for your support.

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To enquire about the highly recommended Emsculpt Neo machine (as used by Kim Kardashian and Jim Delbridge!!) and the BTL Emsella chair, visit www.guernseyskinandbeauty.com ??