Watching Us Lose Weight

Watching us Lose Weight - Weight Check

Marc — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:49:00 +0100

I'm not going to elaborate on our recent failings as it's all listed in the post below but it is worth pointing out that when we actually weighed ourselves we had put on a lot less than I was expecting considering the couple of months of fast food and restaurant eating we've had. Unfortunately (depending on your perspective) we have a busy couple of week socially and that means more eating out but now we're back posting I think we'll be able to make sure that we watch what we eat a bit better again.

Our Weights

As of 14th November 2008 Marc weighs 199 lbs.
As of 14th November 2008 Jessie weighs 166.5 lbs.

Conclusion

Very bad couple of months, we've both gone back to feeling the way we did before we started this physically and mentally. Having weighed ourselves though and noticing that we have only put on about 4lbs each I feel a lot more confident that we can get back on the wagon and start pushing again to reach our goals.

If you have a look through the food diary you can see how what we are eating is affecting our weight.

If you have a look through the daily exercise diary you can see how the exercise we are taking is affecting our weight.

If you want to check our weights on a regular basis use the weight loss table and the weight loss chart in the far right column.

You can access the weight loss chart here.

Bad Weight Loss News All Round

Marc — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:04:00 +0100

Yup, as you can all see by the way that the blog hasn't been updated for a while we've fallen off the wagon in a big way. You could say that the wagon was on a cliff side road and we fell all the way to the bottom eating everything we could grab on the way down! Well let me explain a bit more, we went on holiday a while back and there was a lot of cheese eating involved, having said that there was also a lot of walking which we found a lot easier because of all the additional exercise we had been taking. We got back from the holiday feeling good and continued our diets but not quite to the same extend as previously. Then something rather unpredicted happened, daylight saving! Of course I could have predicted that the clocks were going to change but I wasn't prepared for quite what an effect it would have on my exercise routine. I went from running an hour every other night to doing no exercise ever! The problem is that we live out in the country, running on unlit roads is not really an option, obviously this has also effected for how long and how far we walk the dog. I kept telling myself that I'll go earlier in the day but by then another day had passed and I'd have a bit less inclination to do so etc etc.

Shortly after this and only a few weeks ago Jessie's sister came to stay, when she comes here she likes to sample all the things that she has missed about England, mainly curries, fish and chips etc. Well you guessed it, we couldn't let her eat alone could we?

So there we are, we haven't weighed ourselves for a few months but we are determined not to let it ALL go to waste. We'll weigh ourselves in the morning and start recording our weights and food intake again, last time it really was a help and we've had so many positive comments that every time we fall off the wagon we tell ourselves that we're not just letting ourselves down. I’m also thinking of adding a photo section to the blog so you can view our progress visually, I'm not sure if this is of interest to anyone but we'll see, feel free to let us know if you think this is worth adding or not.

Top 10 Healthy Breakfasts

Jessie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:26:00 +0100

Breakfast is a very important meal and it is vital that you don't skip it. Even if you aren't hungry in the mornings or you find you don't have the time before work / taking the kids to school you need to change your routine to fit in a good breakfast.

Why is breakfast important? Well, for one, it helps fill you up until lunchtime. If you skip breakfast you'll probably find you're really hungry by mid morning and you're more likely to crave a sugary snack that obviously contains far more calories and fat and far fewer nutrients than a good breakfast would have given you. Another good reason to eat a healthy breakfast is that without it, you may suffer from headaches, lack of concentration and weakness caused by low blood sugar.

So, here are some quick and nutritious breakfast suggestions:

1. Porridge

Porridge is making a comeback to our tables, particularly now we are growing increasingly health-conscious. It is microwave-friendly, low fat (make sure you use skimmed milk), filling and particularly great in the cold winter months. Porridge is ideal for people trying to lose weight because it releases fibre and carbohydrates slowly into the body, helping you feel fuller for longer. Try adding some fruit for an easy way to get one of your 5-a-day.

2. Fruit Salad

Whilst some might consider this to be an unsatisfying meal it is worth having it once a week or so, particularly if you know you are going to be eating quite a lot later on in the day (e.g. if you're going out for a meal). Having a bowl full of the fruit of your choice topped with natural yogurt and maybe a bit of honey will help you get your day off to a great start.

3. Baked Beans on Toast

More the domain of lunchtime meals, there's no reason why you shouldn't choose beans on toast as a breakfast alternative. Make sure you have brown or wholemeal toast and try to go without any margarine. It's filling, delicious and should see you through until lunchtime.

4. Eggs

Eggs are packed with nutrients and are relatively low in saturated fat, making them a healthy 'fast food' for the family. They should be eaten in moderation and of course be cooked the healthy way - either boiled, poached or scrambled. Serve either with wholemeal toast or soldiers for a delicious, healthy and filling breakfast.

5. Fruit Smoothie

Harness the power of fresh fruits and vegetables in a smoothie! You may prefer to only have a smoothie as a post-indulgence breakfast rather than making it a regular thing, but whenever and whatever you put in them you can be sure that you'll be giving yourself a great start to the day. Rather than buy a ready-made smoothie, make the time to blend your own.

6. Wholegrain Breakfast Cereal

Wholegrain cereals such as weetabix and shredded wheat are filling and healthy. Try topping with fruit for an easy way to get one of your 5-a-day.

7. Low Fat 'English Breakfast'

If you can't live without a good old traditional 'fry up', try and do it the healthy way. Poach the egg instead of frying it, make sure you include grilled tomatoes and mushrooms and grill a couple of slices of lean bacon.

8. Smoked Salmon Bagel

For a stylish start to the day, try filling a wholemeal bagel with smoked salmon and maybe a bit of low fat cream cheese.

9. Fruit, Yogurt & Muesli

Mix up some muesli, yogurt, fruit and maybe a little bit of honey for a delicous and filling breakfast.

10. Bacon Sandwich

Another one for those of you who can't deny yourselves a delicious bacon sarnie. But turn a soggy, fat-drenched sandwich into a healthier option by choosing brown bread and grilled lean bacon.

Feeling Good

Jessie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:05:00 +0100

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, so I thought it was about time I updated everyone with how I'm getting on.

Whilst my clothes aren't hanging off me (in fact I don't think I've even gone down a dress size yet) I have started to see slight differences in the way I look, mainly in my face. It is extremely frustrating knowing you have loads of weight to lose - even though I've now lost quite a significant amount of weight I would class myself simply as 'a little bit less fat' rather than 'starting to look slimmer'. When I walk down the street, people will still see me as a fat person: sometimes I wish I could go around with a sign on my forehead saying 'work in progress'!!

That's the down side: the up side is that I am, on the whole, feeling great. I feel great psychologically because I know I am looking after my body and am lessening my chances of ending up in an early grave. I feel great physically because I am eating healthier, I am less lethargic and I am very slowly building up my fitness levels. There's a long, long way to go yet, but I feel very proud of the progress I've made.

Watching us Lose Weight - Weight Check

Marc — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:06:00 +0100

Well things have been really busy around here and we also found some time to go away over the bank holiday weekend hence I have been a little behind with updating the blog. So how have things been going? Well I'd have to say that they have been going really well, we have had a blow out meal after we reached our weight targets and we have set another target for another blow out meal when we lose another 10lbs. I was worried that after the blow out meal I'd undo all of the good work but this doesn't seem to have been the case, in fact out weights have continued to steadily decrease. We have been sticking to healthy eating pretty much though there have been a few BBQs over the last couple of weeks and we ate out for dinners when we were away. The positive thing is that at the BBQs and whilst we were away we tried to stay away from the fatty foods that would have lured us in previously and yet we still had delicious tasty food.

Our Weights

As of 28th August 2008 Marc weighs 195.5 lbs.
As of 28th August 2008 Jessie weighs 165.5 lbs.

Conclusion

I'd have to say that things are going really well, we are not usually hungry like we were at the beginning, I think that our stomachs have shrunk to accommodate less food and we are enjoying the meals we have on a daily basis. On top of the obvious benefits we both feel great about what we are doing and it's a real buzz to hear people say that we look like we have lost weight.

If you have a look through the food diary you can see how what we are eating is affecting our weight.

If you have a look through the daily exercise diary you can see how the exercise we are taking is affecting our weight.

If you want to check our weights on a regular basis use the weight loss table and the weight loss chart in the far right column.

You can access the weight loss chart here.

Watching us Lose Weight - Daily Food & Exercise Diaries Updated

Marc — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

See the daily food diary and daily exercise diary.

Keep up to date with our daily diets and exercise routines and see how they are effecting out weight loss.

Watching us Lose Weight - Weight Check

Marc — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:52:00 +0100

I'm still going for a run every other day but I have found that as my fitness has increased I am able to do a lot more running. On Sunday I ran for the best part of an hour without really exhausting myself. It's achievements like this along the way that make losing weight and getting fitter so rewarding on a daily basis. Jess has started taking the dog for an extra walk during the day now and again and she has started using out gym now and again on top of the long walks we take with the dog every day. She has also started to introduce some running into her dog walks, only a little at a time at the moment in order to reduce the risk of getting a migraine but it's a good start.

Our Weights

As of 4th August 2008 Marc weighs 201.5 lbs.
As of 4th August 2008 Jessie weighs 171 lbs.

Conclusion

We lost slightly less weight this week but not to worry, we're still going in the right direction. On Saturday we had a little bit of a pig out at a Greek BBQ, it was very very hard to resist some of the dishes on offer but over all I think we did ok. I mainly stuck to salads (though Greek salads are hardly low fat!) and Jess reduced the amount of meat she would normally eat at a BBQ considerably. The strange thing is that although we cut down a lot on Sunday morning we both felt rough, I wonder if it's because we just aren't used to eating that sort of thing any more.

If you have a look through the food diary you can see how what we are eating is affecting our weight.

If you have a look through the daily exercise diary you can see how the exercise we are taking is affecting our weight.

If you want to check our weights on a regular basis use the weight loss table and the weight loss chart in the far right column.

You can access the weight loss chart here.

Watching us Lose Weight - Daily Food & Exercise Diaries Updated

Marc — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:50:00 +0100

See the daily food diary and daily exercise diary.

They have now been updated to include August.

Watching us Lose Weight - Weight Check

Marc — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:23:00 +0100

Ok, in the last week I have increased my exercise a bit, I'm now going for a run every other day and I have added about 10 mins to each run, making them about 50 mins long now. This seems to be producing good result though I have noticed that the day after a run I weigh a couple of pounds less than the day following that - I think this must be due to water loss during the run. Having said this, the weight loss table and chart is showing a steady reduction in weight.

Our Weights

As of 28th July 2008 Marc weighs 203.5 lbs.
As of 28th July 2008 Jessie weighs 173 lbs.

Conclusion

So another good week, in total I have now lost 6.5 lbs now and Jess has lost 9 lbs! It's very encouraging that the food we are now eating and the amount of exercise we are taking seems to be producing results. Our bread intake has been reduced considerably and we are eating a lot more fruit, the only problem with this is that fruit really doesn't fill you up the same way that a couple of slices of bread does. Our hunger levels seem to have reduced over the last week or so, it appears that our stomachs have shrunk a little to account for the reduced amount of food that we are eating and as a result we spend less time feeling hungry. I have also developed and state of mind whereby if I feel hungry then I know that my body is looking for food to burn as energy, if i don't give into the feelings of hunger and wait until my next meal then my body will have to use its reserves of fat (of which there is plenty!) in order to get by.

If you have a look through the food diary you can see how what we are eating is affecting our weight.

If you have a look through the daily exercise diary you can see how the exercise we are taking is affecting our weight.

If you want to check our weights on a regular basis use the weight loss table and the weight loss chart in the far right column.

You can access the weight loss chart here.

How to Stay Motivated when Losing Weight

Jessie — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:22:00 +0100

We all know that losing weight requires commitment, willpower and dedication - but what you also need is patience and a positive attitude because otherwise it is very easy to be disheartened by the daunting task ahead of you, particularly if you eagerly jump on the scales only to find that you haven't lost any weight that week. Here are some tips for helping you through the long haul.

1. Don't be Obsessed with the Scales!

When you're eating well and exercising regularly, it's tempting to get on the scales every day because you want to see a reward for your hard work. This will only ever end in disappointment, however, because losing weight is harder work than putting it on! You should aim to lose only 1-2 pounds per week, so you won't see any progress on a day-to-day basis. You should only weigh yourself once a week and make sure that you do it on the same day each week, at the same time of day, and without any clothes on.

If you get on the scales one week and are disappointed with the results, it's understandable to be angry and frustrated that your efforts have gone seemingly unrewarded. But don't let this disappointment leave you reaching for the biscuit tin - remember that if you are eating sensibly and exercising regularly, you will lose weight. Just keep going and don't be a slave to the scales!

2. Have Short Term Goals

If you have got a lot of weight to lose, you will be looking at a year or perhaps even longer to achieve your weight loss goals. That can seem a lifetime away, so you should have lots of short term goals to keep you motivated. For instance, you should look at losing half a stone at a time - this way your goals seem a lot more achieveable and you have ample opportunity to be pleased and encouraged by the progress you're making.

3. Find Someone to Motivate You

Losing weight can be a lonely existence, particularly if you're surrounded by friends and family who don't need to worry about their weight. If your social life exists around going out for meals, don't stop going - just ask a close friend or relative to be your support to help you avoid the fatty options on the menu.

If you can find someone to lose weight with, even better. What better motivation than someone who understands exactly what you're going through? Someone who can share your disappointment when you've had a bad week; someone who can share in your joy at losing another pound; someone who you can accompany you on your long journey to slimness!

4. Treat Yourself

Whilst losing weight, increasing your fitness and improving your health should be motivation enough, sometimes you need to treat yourself as a reward for the progress you're making. However, try to avoid using food as a reward - don't forget that as well as losing weight, you are trying to change the way you think about and use food. Instead, how about you buy yourself a new item of clothing when you've lost a certain amount of weight - what could be more confidence-building and inspirational than fitting into clothing in a smaller size?

5. Have a Healthy Relationship with Food

Whilst you shouldn't reward your weight loss progress with food, this doesn't mean that you can't ever eat unhealthily or have a 'blow out'. If you try to force yourself to never eat any 'bad' foods again, chances are you'll get bored, frustrated - and food may even become more of an obsession. After all, we all want what we can't have!

It's all about having a healthy relationship with food: eating sensibly and healthily needs to become second nature because that's what will help to keep you alive. You need to stop thinking about food as a reward, as a comfort, as your 'friend'.

A combination of eating healthily, exercising more and having the occasional blow out will help you change your lifestyle - and ultimately help you to lose that weight and maintain it.

Watching us Lose Weight - Daily Food & Exercise Diaries Updated

Marc — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:21:00 +0100

See the daily food diary and daily exercise diary.

10 Ways to Increase your Exercise

Jessie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:28:00 +0100

You wake up in the morning, have a shower, make breakfast and go to work in your car. You sit behind a desk all day and then drive home, eat dinner and flop in front of the TV because it's been a hard day at work. Does that sound familiar? The combination of a busy lifestyle together with the convenience of a car means that many of us just aren't doing enough physical activity.

Add to this the fact that exercise doesn't appeal to a lot of people: the idea of going for a jog is laughable; going swimming takes too much time; playing a sport requires skill; going to the gym can be a bind; joining an exercise class is daunting .... all these reasons (or excuses) mean that we end up doing little to nothing in a day. However, it doesn't have to be like that: it is possible to increase the amount of physical activity you do in a day without much change in your routine. Here are some suggestions to help you get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day:

1. Walk the Dog

Walking the dog is an excellent way of getting some exercise, but if you feel you need to increase your level of fitness there are a few things you can do: walk at a brisker pace, do 10 minutes extra on top of what you already do; and sometimes go for a walk somewhere where you need to put in a bit more effort (e.g. through fields, where there are hills etc.) You'll benefit from it and your dog will love the extra bit of exercise!

2. Take the Stairs

When you're tired or feeling lazy, the lift or the escalator seems like the best (or even only!) option. However, if you're committed to getting fitter, make sure you take the stairs - you'll feel better for it!

3. Do Some Gardening

If you have a garden, gardening is a great way to get some exercise. You could just mow the lawn or you could start doing a bit more around the garden - weeding, raking, planting - you may find you enjoy it and both you and your garden will benefit from the work.

4. Go for a Walk!

Walking without a purpose can seem a bit of a bind and it is often easier to motivate yourself to do it when you have a dog. However, try to change your mindset and think of walking as a pleasure rather than a chore. Perhaps you could go for a short walk after dinner, perhaps walk to the shops, or maybe go for a walk with a friend. You might find you enjoy exploring new areas and start appreciating the environment around you.

5. Get out More

A great excuse to get out of the house! You could simply walk around your local shopping centre or arrange a fun day out with your family - the zoo for instance is a great place: you'll find that you've spent 3 or 4 hours on the go without even noticing it. How about strawberry picking at a local farm? If you live near the seaside, how about a walk along the beach? How about a day out at a local attraction? There are limitless options if you look around - have a look at www.enjoyengland.com

6. Walk to School

Why not walk your child to school if it isn't too far? Beats sitting in the traffic and means you get to spend a bit of time with your son or daughter ....

7. Do some Housework!

Housework is a real chore, but try to make the most of this necessary bore by using it to increase your physical activity. Perhaps clean an extra cupboard out, do a bit more dusting than usual, or clean the oven. It's not fun but the house will look great!

8. Choose a New Place to Park

The ideal parking spot is the one that's as close to your destination as possible, but buck the trend and park further away! Finding a space will be easier and you'll get that extra few minutes of walking.

9. Buy an Exercise Bike

If you've got the money to spare and the space in your house, an exercise bike is a great way to exercise without investing much time and effort. It's not easy to motivate yourself to do it, but just think about it - how much effort does it take to jump on the bike for 20 minutes a time a few days a week? Listen to music while you're cycling and the time will go much quicker. It may be boring, but you will be proud that you've done it.

10. Join an Exercise Class

Now I know that I'm contradicting myself here because this article is supposed to be for people who don't want to take part in any formal exercise routine, but I've included it here because once you've started getting fitter and losing a bit of weight, you will hopefully have more incentive to build on the excellent work you've done so far. If you have the time, if you're not too embarassed about exercising in front of others, and the idea appeals to you, join a class. You'll meet people and be able to exercise under the supervision of a trained professional - and hopefully you'll enjoy it.

Watching us Lose Weight - Weight Check

Marc — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:36:00 +0100

It been a good week for our weight loss and we have some new approaches to discuss with you which seem to be working!

Our Weights

As of 21st July 2008 Marc weighs 207 lbs.
As of 21st July 2008 Jessie weighs 175 lbs.

Conclusion

This week has gone really well, as you can see I have lost 3 lbs and Jess has also lost 3 lbs. I'm guessing you'll want to know what we've done to achieve this. Well after the disappointment of last week we did some more research into what we should and shouldn't be eating, quantities and food combination. It turns out that we were having too many starchy foods like bread, pasta and rice which are filled with carbohydrates. We spent the week reducing these and have seen considerable results as we have both lost 3 lbs. If you have a look through the food diary you can see how our eating habits are changing as we learn what foods have positive and negative results. We have also reduced the amount of oil we use to cook with, but it's not all been plain sailing, reducing the amount of carbs you eat does make you feel a bit rough for a while but the key is to increase the amount of natural sugars you eat with fruit and within a couple of days your body should get used to it.

We have also increased the amount of exercise that we are taking which I suspect whilst making us fitter is also putting on a little muscle. Though this may limit weight loss initially it should increase it over a longer period of time as more muscle requires more calories throughout the day hence reducing the amount of body fat.

If you want to check our weights on a regular basis use the weight loss table and the weight loss chart in the far right column.

You can access the weight loss chart here.

Watching us Lose Weight - Daily Food & Exercise Diaries Updated

Marc — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:34:00 +0100

See the daily food diary and daily exercise diary.

Say Goodbye to Making Excuses

Jessie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:17:00 +0100

Being able to decide on a weight loss goal and achieve it with little problem is an admirable quality: it shows determination, willpower, strength and a sense of being in control of one's own destiny. It's a rare quality, however, because there are many people out there who can visualise their goals but whose path to achieving it is blocked by numerous, seemingly unsurmountable obstacles.

You know you want to lose weight - you know you need to lose weight - but how many of us have tried and failed on many occasions? How many of us have said any one of the following?

I've tried to lose weight but I just put it all back on again
I must have a slow metabolism
I love my food too much to lose weight
I don't have time to cook proper meals
I don't have time to exercise
I can't understand why I don't lose weight - I don't eat the wrong things
I can't understand why I'm this weight
My weight is hereditary
I don't want to go to the gym - it's too embarassing
I don't have enough willpower
I've got a sweet tooth and I have to have chocolate / biscuits / sweets / cakes

Any of this sound familiar? Well, it's time to get tough and face the facts. If you eat healthily and exercise, you will lose weight - unless for some reason you and you alone defy the laws of physics. The reason you haven't yet lost weight is because you haven't done it right, not because of any external factors outside of your control. Maybe you followed a 'fad' diet (which is doomed to failure), maybe you lied to yourself about the amount of food you ate or the amount of exercise that you did, maybe you just didn't do any exercise, maybe you ate the wrong things, or maybe you just made too many excuses about why you wouldn't lose weight so you didn't even bother trying.

If you want to lose weight, you need to change the way you think and the starting point is to remember that making excuses won't make you slim, it won't prolong your life, and it won't improve your confidence. You are responsible for whether or not you lose weight because it's not down to anyone or anything else.

So instead of the reasons why not, start thinking about the reasons why. Ask yourself a few simple questions:

How important is losing weight at the moment?
Does your weight affect your life in any way?
Does the state of your health worry you at all?

Answering these questions will help you remember why you want to lose weight in the first place and then you can move on to thinking about what changes you need to make to your life in order to help you achieve your goals. Remember that losing weight isn't easy: it requires willpower, determination and commitment. You won't succeed if you fall back on your ready-made excuses every time you feel down, hungry, bored, or you can't be bothered to do that exercise you promised yourself you'd do after work ....

But be realistic - losing weight isn't about punishment, it's about making yourself feel better. If you want to skip a gym session one day, just go for a walk instead; if you want a pig-out night don't beat yourself up over it, just do a bit more exercise the next week to make up for it.

So look forward to the long-term goals of being fitter, healthier, slimmer and more self-confident .... all because you had the courage to say goodbye to your excuses and take responsibility for your life.