Like a lot of people, I started 2011 with a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. I started the South Beach diet on January 1^st well maybe the 2^nd or perhaps it was the 4^th to be honest!  It had worked for me in the past and so I dug the books out, did some revision into what I could eat on ‘Phase 1’ and set my sights on getting to my goal weight.

I met Anna at a Chippy Lippy meeting on the 5^th January and found I could relate to what the Distance Dieter program could offer. I travel a lot with work and so can’t make regular weigh in’s. It really doesn’t motivate me turning up to a class of strangers to have the dreaded on the ‘scales moment’ to see if I have lost this week.

One of the other members of the group shared a bit about her experience with Anna which was useful. I listened with interest to see if this could make me less hungry, miserable and stressed than the South Beach, which was proving to do all three after only a couple of days! It all seemed to be quite straight forward and common sense really so the next day I gave Anna a call.

After an initial chat to explain more about the plan, I agreed to keep a food diary and we set a time for my hour consultation. All the contact is by phone, text and email which fits perfectly with my / everybody’s busy lifestyle

I have been following the plan for four months now and have lost nearly two stone. In terms of inches, it is about seven off my waist and six off my hips which means I can happily get in a size 12 in most shops. My BMI is heading towards the normal zone too.

All of this has happened in spite of my hectic lifestyle, some really emotional things in my life, an operation and the odd night out with the girls. It has always been about a focus on food which has suited me as I’m not a great exercise fan. I will take it up again – maybe next week ….

I think the biggest shock was at the start when I asked Anna how long this initial (very restrictive – or so I thought then) phase was to last. She explained that this was the basis for my eating habits for the rest of my life! Oh, I thought as Anna enthused over how one day we could add red peppers to the mix

As I mentioned earlier, I travel a lot with work and that also means staying in hotels. It is seen as the ‘done thing’ to socialise in the evenings and have dinner with colleagues and customers. A three course dinner – well we are away from home and so surely we deserve it – oh the wine list, well if we must!  This is one area that I was really stressed about as I worry about what people think and don’t want to be a ‘lettuce leaf and a tap water’ kind of girl! Anna guided me through menu options and made me realise it’s not being a pain asking for no potatoes but extra veg. I also found people were very accepting and supportive of the ‘new me’ but obviously took great pleasure in trying to tempt me with dessert! Meanies!

It has taken some thought and planning to achieve the results but it gets much easier and I now do it without thinking.  I’ve not been hungry and have been able to eat out without too much stress.

My whole attitude to food has changed. I think this is mainly because the plan offers a framework to apply to everyday life as opposed to counting points, weighing food or drinking shakes. With any other diet I have been on – and that’s a few – I am obsessed with food. While preparing one meal I’m working out what I am ‘allowed’ to have for the next or ‘saving’ points or ‘sins’.

This works for me as I don’t feel guilty and I have finally realised it is erm, just food!

I have also kept my weight loss plan to myself this time as I am doing this for me and seeing the pounds disappear is a much nicer reward than the praise of others.  I see my friends losing weight, on facebook but then it goes quiet.  I don’t have that pressure.

My tastes have changed as a result of the plan. I don’t take sugar in drinks now and things like chicken chow mein don’t seem nearly as appetising as a plate of homemade colourful stir fry. 

I’ve found it’s not the end of the world to have a treat now and again but have also seen the effects when I do it every day! The food diary helps you to stay aware of whether you really did stick to it 80% of the time and the calls with Anna are really helpful. A bit like going through your homework with a (nice) teacher – does that say a Twirl – not the words you want to hear! 

I have been out and partied, it takes a lot less to get me drunk now so I’m a cheap date.  I’m not sure if that is one of the benefits advertised :)

I have also had the odd wobble over weeks where I haven’t lost weight but I have concentrated on the positives of how much weight I have lost, that my skin glows, that I can get into  ‘that skirt’ and then got back on track the next week. The before and during photo’s have also helped motivate me, as a picture tells a thousand words!

I’m now looking forward to knocking my last half a stone on the head, ready for our long, hot British summer. I know which will come first!

Jane

You may think that the weight would drop off.  In fact, only last week my consultant asked how much weight I had lost as a result of the ulcer.  It was embarrassing to confess that I have gained almost 2 stone.  A diet of bread, potator, pasta and rice, the recommended bland foods, accompanied by milky drinks aleviated the pain and discomfort but landed on my stomach and thighs! 

Fortunately, the stomach ulcer is now almost healed but I feel very down about the weight gain and started to panic as I hit the highest weight I have every been.  A quick email to Anna  for HELP and I am back on the programme.  Shopping done, meal planner done, food diary set up and photographs taken all ready to restart the final campaign.

I am attending a friend’s wedding at the end of the month.  I know I won’t be where I need to be by then but at least I have made a start.  A significant birthday milestone later in the year has also focussed my attention and will act as a motivator.  I am not prepared to go through another summer afraid to take off my jacket for fear of exposing my bingo wings and muffin top.

I have measured myself ready to monitor the loss of inches, especially around my waist.  With a family history of heart disease I cannot afford to increase my risks of developing any heart related illnesses. 

For the next week I will focus on losing the first few pounds.  Every pound lost is one more step to reaching my goal!  I have set myself a small initial target of 4lbs loss this week.  Let’s see what transpires.

Talking of health, this week I had a review and update to my Gym programme. The health assessment shows that this year I have reduced my body fat percentage by 4%  and by 8% in the last  2 years! I’m delighted with this as it’s now within acceptable limits. My lean muscle percentage has also shown a significant improvement. Further confirmation, even though it’s not needed that working with Distance Dieters has been a complete success!

As my weight has reduced my wardrobe choices have narrowed and yet I had deliberately chosen not to make any radical changes to it until the journey was over, or at least I had achieved my objectives. Last week however I succumbed, my clothes looked ridiculous and my wardrobe was full of items I was never going to wear again. My local Hospice shop now has five bin bags of my old clothing to sort through and sell and I have started to replenish the gaping hole in my wardrobe.

If ridding me of my old and large clothes (one pair of chino’s I bought in 1997) was cathartic then trying on some new clothes several sizes smaller was liberating and positively exciting. I’m now wearing sizes last seen some twenty years ago and I plan with all my energy and determination to never be heading back to the person I was on 12^th April 2009. If any reader of this blog doubts or queries what www.distancedieters.co.uk can do for you, then take a look at the pictures below.

Reviewing my food and exercise diary with Anna  and notwithstanding the joy of weight loss I can’t help feeling that things are a bit ‘samey’ now. Routine has set in and it’s time to shake it up. On the exercise side, Anna has encouraged me to supplement my bike riding with some walks. The tempo of the walks is though they have a purpose but not a super high tempo, trying to tap into the fat burning zone is the goal. I’ve done this already since my weekly review and enjoyed it enormously.

On the food side of things, clearly after 16 weeks I know what I should and shouldn’t be eating so it’s a question of mixing up the ingredients and having some new recipes. Partly to relieve the routine, but also so that my body isn’t getting used to certain dishes. Fortunately Distances Dieters have an excellent online resource at http://distancedietersrecipes.wordpress.com/ which is full of delicious recipes handily categorised by meal type. I’ll be making good use of these lovely dishes as I move through the continuation phase and onwards towards my next goal to lose another 12 lbs.

For those readers who might be curious …… here is the before and after evidence.

‘Scalesgate’ has been fully discussed and fortunately it’s been decided that I can go with my weight before my recalibrating moment of madness. It’s amazing how much those extra pounds on paper have made me doubt my weight loss, even though the measuring tape and my clothes are telling me I’m still losing weight. It’s still slightly confusing, but at least it’ll help me be less focused on a specific weight I think I might be happy at, and more focused on the weight I actually FEEL happy at. If anything, the figure on the scales is just a guide.

We also discussed attitude. It’s making me laugh as I write this, but I can actually hear myself saying how disappointed I was with a 1.5lb loss and that I hadn’t stuck rigidly to the plan and I sound like Eeyore! I do tend to beat myself up about slips (see ‘Crouton is now a four letter word’) and anything less than a 4lb loss is a let down, but one phone call and a reality check later and I realise that I should be proud of my achievements. It’s unrealistic to expect huge losses every week when I’m the weight I am and if you actually look at 1.5lbs as a mass, it’s a fair bit of weight.

So one week left and I want to lose at least another 1.5lbs. And hopefully then I’ll be less like Eeyore and more like Tigger!

The end result of 8 weeks with Anna was a loss of one whole stone! I didn’t always stick to the plan so, as many a school report will say, I “could do better”. But 14lbs lighter, not to mention the inch loss, I felt like had won the battle with the end of the war in sight. 

The table below shows the highlights of the 8 weeks. Added to this, I have exciting health news to add to the statistics! Just before I started the Distance Dieter’s programme I had my cholesterol, glucose and V02 max measured. The results are staggering and I have included them in a table of their own. I cannot believe the progress I have made in all these figures and this has motivated me to keep going to get the final 6lbs off once and for all.

The cholesterol was a concern; it had risen from 5.04 in August 2009 to 6.12 at the last reading in April so I was delighted to see such a dramatic improvement. My blood pressure result has also improved and instead of 3 readings to get a good one, the first reading was one of the lowest in the last 15 years.

In addition to Anna’s advice on my diet I added more exercise to my daily life through walking and cycling – well I hated to see a box unused on the Food & Exercise diary! This has not only had an impact on my weight and body shape but also the V02 max reading – my now smaller body can handle 15 litres more oxygen!

In summary I am lighter, fitter, more toned and this has made a huge impact on my health.

The journey doesn’t end here either. I still have pounds to lose and I promised Anna that I would continue to let her know just how this adventure progresses and how it turns out!

I really have learnt, and importantly practised, new habits for life and the results on my health are there in black and white!

Health Results:

Stage 3 was in the Ardennes region and as I telephoned Anna for my weekly review, I found myself sat on a camping chair, beside a cobbled road that ran through fields on the France/Belgium border. It was all quite surreal to be discussing my food diary and to be answering Anna’s key question of the day, “what is your food strategy [whilst on holiday]”, after all, I was in a field, with thousands of drunk French, Belgium, German, Dutch and of course, British cycling fans, and it was only 10:30am on a Tuesday morning.

I feigned my answer but the question did trigger a period of analysis and I came up with a plan if not quite a strategy that would see me enjoy my holiday (next stop was Reims in Champagne) and continue on my road to health and weight-loss. The plan worked! After returning home from France, I waited a few days before weighing myself but when I eventually stepped on the scales, I was delighted and also somewhat proud to be able to text Anna with the result. I’d lost 2lbs! On holiday!

Of course I had a little more alcohol than had been the case over the previous 12 weeks however I kept it under control, I ate well and healthily using the rules that are now so engrained, they’re natural and normal and I exercised. Hey presto, holidays and weight-loss can really co-exist.

I’m now firmly into my continuation programme continuing my journey I started out on last April. Since then, many business meetings, overseas travel to the US, the Netherlands and France plus a France vacation later, I have lost 23lbs of totally un-wanted surplus fat utilising a simple set of nutritional rules allied to education and motivation from Anna of www.distancedieters.co.uk. I am now lighter than at any point in the last 20 years and armed with the tools and knowledge I’ve learnt along the way, I am in control!

Goodness knows why I did it, but I reset the scales before my weigh-in this morning and they’re telling me I’ve put on 5lbs when my measurements and my clothes are telling me no such thing! I don’t really have anything to go on but my last weigh in, so do I go by that (even though I’ve hopefully lost SOMETHING this week), or take the 5lb hit that the scales are showing me? Was my start weight accurate or was I actually heavier than I though I was, and this is my real weight? If so, that’s a bit depressing. I was feeling like a 11st 1lb kind of a gal, not a 11st 6lb kind of a gal. I shed her a couple of weeks ago…

Gah!

It’s been an odd week in terms of how my body has reacted to food. I haven’t felt like eating anything all week – I’m hungry, but food doesn’t appeal, even the processed food I used to eat before. It’s a strange sensation to have no appetite for anything at all, there’s no satisfaction in eating.

It’s worked out well for the most part – I know I need to eat regularly so I’ve been sticking to the plan, I just haven’t been eating nearly as much as I normally do.

So far so good.

But being the foodie that I am and not being fussed with food is a fairly alarming thing and towards the end of the week I was starting to get bored. Cue self sabotage! Three croutons is all it took – three croutons I tried on the off chance they would make my salad more appetizing and I’m suffering for it now! I’m not great with wheat at the best of times, but after three fried one-inch cubes of bread I feel really bloated, which I think has also affected my weight loss this week.

Talking it through with Anna, it may have been thirst that has been manifesting itself through loss of appetite. I haven’t been drinking quite enough water this week, so I’m upping my intake and keeping myself focused – no experiments with ‘forbidden’ foods this week! And certainly no more croutons!