You Are What You Eat!

Starting weight - 17 stone 3 pounds.

Current weight – 16 stone 6 pounds

Loss to date – 11 pounds (or 22 packs of Guernsey Butter)

So far so good! I’m almost 3 weeks into my hugely important life changing challenge to lose 3 stone and keep the weight off. I am now down to 16 stone and 6 pounds.

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Just to recap, I woke up a few weeks ago to discover I was 65 years old and over 17 stone. As a writer and a broadcaster my hands, brain and mouth get lots of exercise*, (*especially your mouth - ed) but my job could only be described as sedentary. Unfortunately, I have always been an extremely lazy git when it comes to jogging, swimming (boring!) or going to the gym (even more boring!). But I have decided to put my guitar down for a moment, get my arse in gear, and take control of my life!

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The science is very persuasive. As we get older our hormone levels drop. We hear about menopause in women, but men also have a reduction in hormones in middle-age, and this leads to the growth of fat cells in the abdomen. The risk of heart disease increases for those who are over 65. Scarily, the average age for a heart attack is?64.5 for men, and 70.3 for women. This is definitely something I want to avoid.

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Now you don’t need to be Albert Einstein or Stephen Fry to work out that getting rid of all that unwanted, unsightly belly fat through proper diet and exercise offers a whole host of health benefits. These include reduced blood pressure, lower risk of diabetes, and a stronger heart. The key question is do I have the willpower or self-discipline to see this through? Time will tell.

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In my previous blog I introduced you to the amazing Emsculpt Neo machine, as used by Kim Kardashian, which reduces your fat and helps you build around 25% more muscle. I am taking a course of 4 half-hour sessions at Guernsey Skin & Beauty and can already feel it making a difference to my belly. I have now had three treatments and, unbelievably, I can actually feel muscle! (*Only six-pack you'll have is cans of Guinness! - Ed)

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What’s great with the Neo is I walk in and have the treatment then walk out again. It's non-invasive, I don’t need to take off my clothes or have a shower and the whole thing takes 30 minutes. I just lie on a bed and the machine does the rest. Simples!

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To read more about this please refer to my previous blog. 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

This week I met up with Dr Noemi Varadi, a Hungarian nutritionist and pharmacist who lives and works in Guernsey. Bronwen from Guernsey Skin & Beauty told me how her meeting with her transformed her attitude towards weight loss and the menopause. Well, you are what you eat right? So, getting an appointment with her was a no brainer.

My first consultation lasted for an hour and a half during which she asked me lots of questions to work out my unique metabolic and hormonal type – “Do you crave sweet things in the evening or savoury? Have you ever got out of bed to get something to eat?” etc. Then we discussed my individual issues, what medication I was on, my genetic heritage and my lifestyle.

Based on my answers Noemi then gave me a food plan which included how many grams of meat and carbs I need to eat as well as my fat intake. Carbs, gluten and artificial sweeteners are the enemy!

?“The problem with many people is that they do not know the correct food combinations for their type, and this can cause weight gain and other issues. I will tell you what you can eat but you must choose the cooking method," said Noemi.

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“I will include a shopping list of what foods I consider are beneficial to you, what you should consume rarely and what you should avoid completely because of your hormonal type.”

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Noemi said I could completely change my eating habits after the 12-week course during which I would chat with here every week and stay in contact via WhatsApp so she can monitor my changes. Plus, I have three face-to-face meetings and she will see the physical changes and decide whether she needs to tweak the programme.

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I have always known what the dangerous parts of the day are for me food wise. Mornings are easy as fasting until lunchtime has never been a problem (unless I’m hungover and then it’s a different story).

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The real issue is evening or night times. After Jo and I have our evening meal at around six o’clock we normally settle down to watch the latest crime drama or I will have band rehearsal. By around eight thirty / nine o’clock my body has a mad craving for sugar. I’m like a vulture circling over my fridge. Chocolate, an ice lolly, a glass of Pinot Noir, a gin & tonic maybe, I need something to keep the sugar cravings at bay. Maybe something savoury like toast and cheese or a bowl of bran flakes with Guernsey red milk and two or three teaspoons of sugar, roasted cashew nuts or chicken flavoured crisps. I don’t need any of it, but my body demands it!

Yep, fighting that sugar demon is the hard bit for me. Hopefully Noemi’s bespoke plan will be successful, which includes changing the times of day I eat my meals.

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Eating sugar in its various forms releases opioids and dopamine into our bodies. Scientists believe this is the link between sugar and addictive behaviour. A good example of humanity shooting itself in the foot is giving our children sugar when they are good. It is considered a treat. And we reward ourselves with it after a difficult day or to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary.

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We add sugar to our coffee, bake it in cakes and sprinkle it over our breakfast cereals. Ever since soldiers brought it back from the Crusades in the 11th century we have lusted for it. Not surprisingly there’s an increasing body of research that says excess sugar could be as addictive as some street drugs and have similar effects on the brain. Is it any wonder that we find it so hard to give it up?

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I am now on Day 11 of my food plan but for the first 21 days everything I eat is low in fat, no alcohol ?passes my lips, (10 days to go) and for the first three days I sent photos of everything I ate to Noemi so she could check I was doing the right thing, eating the correct foods and my portion sizes were appropriate.

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I return to the ‘mind over matter’ theme. I’ve always loved food, cooking and restaurants but I need to embrace a new attitude that states: ‘I eat to live’ rather than ‘I live to eat!!’ It’s very early days but with the help of Dr Noemi Varadi and Bronwen Dudley-Owen I’m beginning to take control.

Blog number 4 on my weight-loss journey will be about exercise. Thanks for reading this and supporting me as I attempt to make this very important change in my life.

To enquire about the amazing Emsculpt Neo machine and the BTL Emsella chair, visit www.guernseyskinandbeauty.com ??

To find out more about Dr Noemi and what she can offer you go to https://keepbalanceinyourlife.gg/nutrition-diet-plans/