Last Year I lost 3 stone: this is what worked for me.

It was Jan 2020 when I ran out of excuses. I was overweight and really needed to do something about it. So, I did what many of you will be doing this week. I bought a set of scales and made a new year’s resolution.

Today I am three stone lighter and feel fitter and healthier than I have for years. There is a lot written by experts on how to lose weight. I am not an expert, and I did it my own way, but I was successful, so I thought I would share what worked for me, which may or may not be helpful for you.

I had never really “gone on a diet” before. For me, health kicks were focussed on exercise not diet. In my mind exercise and weight loss were completely intertwined. I have unravelled that; I now know that I need to focus on both separately. I control fitness with exercise and my weight by focusing on what I eat.

I did some things well, I knew that losing weight would take time, so I prepared myself for a six-month endeavour. I didn’t set a goal weight, instead I decided to see how much weight I could lose in six months. Preparing myself mentally for a sustained effort and giving myself a fixed time period to lose weight worked better for me. This was it for the next six months. total commitment.

My Stepfather was a psychiatrist, and he always talked about your ‘gratification index’ essentially understanding what things in life give you real pleasure and are therefore high on your gratification index. It’s hard to cut out things you really enjoy, but much easier to cut out things you don’t. Alcohol is really low on my gratification index, so I cut it out. In fact, I decided to cut it out for the whole year, I didn’t drink any alcohol from New Year 2020 to Christmas day where I had a glass of Port with some Stilton. Cheese is pretty high on my gratification index.

I am a natural sceptic, so I wasn’t interested in fad diets, or expensive meal plans. In fact, I didn’t spend any money on any specific diet products, but I did download an app that taught me the calorific value of foods, and for the first month or so I logged what I ate which gave me a really good understanding of where calories actually are.

I had read a lot about the keto diet mostly thanks to @tomwatson, which is basically cutting out all sugar and all carbs, and although I was put off by the need to test your ketones, (I never did) and some of the carb replacements foods ie carb free bread or pizza!!, I thought there were some good principles – so I tried to go carb and sugar free, which was actually a great way to reduce calories.

I have two teenage boys; I have to cook for them. This I think, is where dieting in real life gets complicated. My kids don’t want and won’t eat diet food, so I had to get creative. How to cook them a meal they would eat that I could also eat (albeit with some modifications). 

I cooked our normal family meals for them and for me just cut out the rice, pasta, couscous, potatoes, and added an extra green vegetable, a salad or my new favourite…. coleslaw. I have probably eaten more cabbage in the last year than in the rest of my life put together. Pizza was off the menu, but Turkey sausages a big hit, as was roasted cauliflower (with Garam Masala topping).

I had never weighed myself before, ever. But to lose weight I needed to measure my progress by getting on the scales, which I did every evening and every morning. It made me feel very in control. My goal was to ensure that my weight didn’t go up. and every few days it would drop down a pound. The more weight I lost the more motivated I felt. Every morning I felt like I had achieved something.

I tried to eat less at every meal, and in doing so, I realised I could eat less at every meal. I also realised that eating wasn’t the reward, weighing less was. This psychological shift was important. I love food, and I love eating but I like achieving things more, so focusing on my morning weigh-in and making that the reward, helped me to change how I thought about food during the day.

There were weeks where I didn’t lose weight, and those weeks were hard, but I knew it was working and that I was moving in the right direction, and after all, this was a six-month challenge, so the only option was to keep going, that eventually the scales will shift. They always did. The temptation to give up was there, but that just meant failure, and for me that wasn’t ever an option.

I was inspired by @joewicks to start exercising at home, something I have never done before. I logged in to 'PE with Joe' most mornings during lockdown for a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout, and gradually improved my fitness and core strength too. 

I dieted for six months and lost 3 stone. I haven’t put the weight back on, as I am much more careful about how much I eat. I still weigh myself every morning and I exercise for 15 -20 mins most days with a HIIT workout. I can nearly do a full press up… nearly.

This year, I am going to keep up with the exercise, and try to lose another stone in weight to get me down to a ‘healthy’ BMI. I have given myself 3 months. to do it.

Good Luck if you are embarking on a similar endeavour this year. I hope you smash it!