The Stormtrooper of Diets

Starting weight - 17 stone 3 pounds.

Current weight – 16 stone 6 pounds

Loss to date – 11 pounds or 22 packs of Guernsey butter (approx.)

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It’s time to face the music! My life-changing weight loss programme has hit a sticky patch. So much so that I have put a few pounds back on. Not surprising really, as during the last month Jo and I have played host to a string of family members and close friends coming to stay to enjoy beautiful Guernsey. We have had a few lovely weeks, and it was brilliant spending time with them, but most days featured a delicious meal out or a delicious meal in. It’s not the ideal environment for following a disciplined food intake and exercise programme.

So, back to normal now and the diet kicks in big time. The important thing is to get on that horse and get riding! I am hopeful that I will be back to 16’ 3” or less by the weekend as we have no distractions.

I am continuing to have weekly 30-minute sessions on the amazing Emsculpt Neo machine at Guernsey Skin & Beauty. It’s been clinically proven to reduce abdominal fat by up to 20% with just four treatments.

To start, patients should have a minimum of four sessions. However, additional ones may be necessary depending on the area of the body treated. I am targeting the dangerous visceral fat around the organs in my belly. It uses radio frequency and high intensity focused electromagnetic field to get rid of fat and help build muscle. It really helps with exercising as I have so much more strength when I go for long, strenuous dog walks.

I’m attempting to follow the philosophy of Sir David Brailsford, the man who made British cycling the huge success it is today. He was hired to take the team to the very top and he had a relentless commitment to a strategy that he referred to as “the aggregation of marginal gains,” which was the philosophy of searching for a tiny margin of improvement in everything you do. A small improvement here, another little gain there, put them all together and you are going somewhere.

He did things like adjust the bike seats, so they were more comfortable, they rubbed alcohol on the bike tyres to give them more grip, gave riders heated shorts to keep muscles warm. They even hired a surgeon to teach each rider the best way to wash their hands to reduce the chances of catching a cold. Amazing!... and it worked. The question is how can I make these incremental gains to improve my weight loss? Watch this space.

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Changing the subject completely, and while I have your attention, I wanted to tell you about my mad, beautiful wife and her purchase of a new vacuum cleaner.

(Are you serious?-Ed)?

Yes, I know this has nothing to do with my diet, but I wanted to share with you how her brain works. Anyone who knows Jo will know that she doesn’t just hoover our house but regularly hoovers the patio and could be considered inordinately interested in vacuum cleaners and their technical abilities. She has even been known to paint the lawn!

Everyone needs a good vacuum cleaner to keep the house spick and span right? We have eight! (Don’t ask!) But we ‘needed’ a new one apparently.

In a magazine Jo was absolutely thrilled to see there was an offer on the Gtech Platinum AirRAM, so she ordered one and was so delighted with it that she decided to write a review and send it to the company.

Now when it comes to guitars, I get very excited and have sung the praises of my Gibson J45 acoustic. I can understand someone loving their new Porsche or Mercedes and wanting to tell the world. But a vacuum cleaner?

Anyway, here is Jo’s review. (What makes you think she’s a PR professional?)

“The Stormtrooper of the Cordless Vacuuming World”

The Platinum AirRAM really is the stormtrooper of cordless vacuum cleaners. Its sleek, white, and purple design, its incredible suction power, its lightweight, nimble agility, and easy emptying facility, coupled with lavender scent-releasing capsules (I kid you not!) makes this appliance an absolute must for every house-proud cleaner!

I bought this as a present for myself having been an avid Gtech fan for 15 years (a fan of vacuum cleaners? Really?... Oh, this is my favourite bit…) and it really is the gift that keeps on giving! (genius!)… so much so that I’ve taken photos of it to send to all my family and friends! (She honestly did!) Go on… treat yourself and turn a household chore into a pleasure!”

Now, that isn’t a review, it’s an advert! Unbelievably she wrote that on her phone as we were driving to town to catch the boat to Herm. She then posted it to the Gtech website and was really upset to discover that she had forgotten to mention the incredible Anti Hair Wrap built-in comb and the innovative Forward Inertia Drive! How annoying!

?Apologies for the diversion but I needed to get that off my chest!

One little piece of advice that I have received about weight-loss, willpower etc that I am very grateful for is to “stop believing that those little cheats won’t make a difference – they will, so you have to banish them. Keep exercising and keep teaching your brain to say no to food and drink you don’t need.”

I wonder if that works for vacuum cleaners?

Thanks to everyone for their support as I move forwards, and sometimes backwards, on this important health journey.

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 ??