#2015HereIAm … It’s not easy #LCHF

There is a new Banting book out by a South African based in Johannesburg, Marion Makepeace. It’s called Everyday Banting. It’s a recipe book – yet so much more than that.

I’m going to list the Chapter headings to give you an idea:

Banting Basics; Equipment & shopping lists; Being Prepared; Ideas for entertaining & quick meals; Breads, pancakes, pizza bases & savoury biscuits.; Chicken & Fish; Meat & Mince; Snacks, light meals & lunchbox food; Salads, soups & vegetables; Savoury sauces & dressings; Desserts & sweet treats. Comprehensive to say the least.

What I like about the book is that it’s local, ‘everyday’ and the author deals with her own challenges and those of her partner with common-sense and fine cooking knowledge. In nine months, she has lost in excess of 26kg and gone down 4 dress sizes.

Oh! To have that same success in 2015. I’m certainly going to try emulating her success. BTW, I don’t know Marion Makepeace and she will no doubt be astonished at this glowing tribute.

In the past, on this blog, I have called myself “Laziest Cook on Earth”. I like food that is simple, fresh and above all quick to prepare. I am one of those people who, when I see a recipe with more than 6 ingredients, I turn the page! This is one of the reasons why I recommend this book.

www.everydaybanting.com

Advertisement

#2015HereICome … The odyssey continues

As they say, even if you walk slowly you’re still lapping the guy on the couch!

#2015HereICome … Sunday morning weigh-in showdown!

For years, I have logged my weight first thing on a Sunday morning. I do sometimes weigh in during the week as well but it’s probably not a good thing to do if the results checked on a daily basis are likely to throw one off course.

I can say with honesty that I do not get all upset if I have gained weight. I will ALWAYS know why I have gained!! 😦

Readers who honour me by subscribing to this blog will know that my Odyssey has been a ‘mixed bag’ of a spectacular (if I say so myself!) success of 25kg lost and then a stumbling, erratic climb in weight. All indications are that the fancy shmancy scale will show that I have regained everything plus more this morning. Hating to disclose that!

The reasons for losing my way on the Odyssey are legion and would fill a dozen posts. I will spare you all that pain!

In future posts though, I will refer to the various factors that caused my wandering off the path; that is what an odyssey is, not so?  🙂

Have a great Sunday xx

When did it become OK? Just when?

So, I ask again, when did it become OK? Just exactly when?

Just what am I on about now?

Yesterday, we spent several hours at CT International airport. On the Saturday before Christmas it’s not a good place to be. The place was heaving with people who were heaving themselves along….. as in lumbering along with their obese bodies no doubt protesting quite strongly.

Of course, there were many folk of healthy weight among the masses but, it seemed to me, that every second person I saw was obese to morbidly obese. Lumbering along with that peculiar rocking gate of protesting bones and muscles slack with lack of exercise….. Or traipsing along with muffin tops offending my eyes. (Maybe I’m just prudish and old fashioned with that one!)

I will refrain from including myself in any pics at this time, but my family companions looked pretty good!

Sitting in the Spur, watching the planes come and go (I love doing that), I also observed people come and go from the various tables in the restaurant. One family in particular came directly into my line of vision and I covertly observed them for quite a while. Grandparents, morbidly obese, trying to squeeze into the benches at their big table. The granny, I wondered about her. What did she look like when she married the old man? Slim? trim? Or already plump on her wedding day?  The oupa; I imagined him just eating whatever was put on the table in front of him at home. The children, ‘30/40-somethings’, severely overweight. The son; maybe it was rugby muscle now overtaken by fat. The DIL; very plump indeed. Maybe she was trying to control her weight? Who knows? Lastly, the grandchildren. Not yet in High School. Seriously podgy and pasty looking from lack of sun & exercise. Perhaps that was the saddest part of the picture in front of me. The grandchildren.

Why do I keep thinking about the grandmother? Should she have informed herself and controlled the diet & habits of herself and her spouse? Which, in turn, could have inculcated better eating habits in her son? Maybe she is in fact informed but just could not get control? You know, somehow, I don’t think so. I think she just gave up on the calories, the ‘low fat everything’ that was supposed to help her slim down, the never-ending diets, the never-ending failures.

The food choices that family of six South Africans made yesterday were ill-advised to say the very least. And I, for one, will never give up on myself and my quest for permanent, sustainable healthy weight. I will never give up on my Odyssey.

BMI – not a perfect measure but …

BMI (Body Mass Index) is by no means a perfect measurement of obesity. It does, however, give those of us who are not gym bunnies or heavily muscled body builders some good idea of where we stand in the obesity stakes.

As part of my personal preparation for 2015, I am documenting exactly where I stand on all levels. BMI being only one of the measures I will be tracking. Per BMI, I am classified as “Severely Obese” or “Obese Class II”. So not good; so not good.

The formula to determine your BMI is

English BMI Formula
BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches x Height in inches ) ) x 703
Metric BMI Formula
BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters x Height in Meters ) )

Check these out! Where do you stand?

Listen up 2015! Here.I.Come!

I’m enjoying a short period of less hectic days and this will continue for a couple of weeks. Bliss! Trying to get office stuff done quite promptly in the morning and then indulging myself for the rest of the day.

As for many of us, 2014 was a mixed bag – the proverbial good, bad and the ugly. I wrestled the entire year with my weight and worrying health markers.

A battle plan is in progress for 2015 and I will be sharing all here on this neglected blog. Not easy to bare one’s soul for the whole world to see but I will be doing this anyway.

I would so love to have you join me as the odyssey continues……

This pic sorta says it all!  🙂

Sweet Perfection? If you must!

I found this today. Looking forward to trying these sachets; do hope we get used to the taste!  Hubby and I have been on sucralose for a long time. Ingredients are Erythritol  and Stevia extract.
@ProfTimNoakes  @SalCreed

That’s it! Enough already!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Public Announcement!

It really is enough now.  Exactly what is ‘it’ and what is enough already? Weight. Hypertension. Blood Glucose (and the edible kind). Fatigue. Insomnia. Indifference. Oh grief, I could go on and on.. and on …

It’s what my dietician called ‘the slippery slop’. Perhaps I should pen that as ‘The Slippery Slope’. Because it really, really is a Slippery Slope people. Actually, no, scratch that completely. It’s the Slippery Gorge. And do please check out the synonym verbs for Gorge hereunder!

The infamous and notorious (there is a difference) Odyssey takes to the road again tomorrow morning. Let’s be clear on this, tomorrow 19 August 2013 at 07h00 my Odyssey takes to the highway again.  I am mortified to admit here on this horribly public forum that I tested FBG and BP this morning and both are notably elevated. Elevated from my usual readings that is – which were last done on 23rd June. That is the mortifying part – the interval between these routine checks. Won’t be permitted to happen again.  I am not mortified about the readings themselves, they are simply proof of severe self neglect. My excuses for this severe self neglect will become clear as I continue to bore you all in the days and weeks to come 🙂

Gorge (per the ubiquitous Google)

Noun A narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it.

Verb Eat a large amount greedily; fill oneself with food: “we used to go to all the little restaurants and gorge ourselves”.

Synonyms noun. ravine – throat – gully – gullet verb. gormandize – gobble – devour – guzzle – cram

ODYSSEY CONTINUED : SMART goals

My post this morning has to do with goals.  And what’s more, this post is cribbed directly off a newsletter I subscribe to.  Tom Venuto’s BURN THE FAT Fat Burning Tips E-zine : www.burnthefat.com.

‘They’ say – and I have always believed implicitly in this – that a goal is but a dream until it is written down. This post fits in nicely with my post of yesterday about New Year’s resolutions.

Whether we call them resolutions or goals, we surely all aspire to something in  this fresh New Year? It’s like a nice clean sheet; a new blank page in your new 2011 Journal – you do try to keep a journal do you not?!  You do at least try to keep a food log do you not?!  

I think I have mentioned before that some years ago I created an Excel workbook which enabled Weigh-Less members to record daily food intake and the various formulas would add up and track their daily progress. If any one part of the daily formula was exceeded, the figures would start showing in RED!!! If anyone is interested, I could try and dig it up again from the bowels of my computer! Back in about 2007, I sent out literally hundreds of copies of this spread-sheet. Each page also has space for remarks where you can record what a shit day you are having!

But, as usual, I digress ….. let me just get on with it and list what Venuto calls SMART as well as SMART-ER goals:

1. Specific. Set goals with clarity. Get clear. Get precise. Be specific. Your mind does not respond well to generalities.

2. Measurable. Set goals that can be quantified in  measurable units. Kg weight; body fat % (more about that soon); body measurements; clothing sizes.

3. Accountable. Set goals that you can be held accountable to.  Accountable to yourself with weekly progress charts; a daily nutrition diary/food log; and possibly a training journal. Double that accountability by submitting your results to a third party who can hold you accountable!

4. Realistic. Set goals that are attainable and maintainable. ,5kg a week FAT loss a week is attainable.  1Kg per week would be awesome and not quite so easy imho! I will talk about FAT loss in future posts. I am NO expert but have been reading up about it.

5. Time bound. Set goals with deadlines. With no time limit, there is no urgency for completion. Set weekly goals for nutrition and workouts (!); weekly weight and body composition; then look ahead and check quarterly progress. Set long term goals.

Now for the ER part.

6. Emotional. Goals give direction but strong emotions are the propulsion system that drives you in the desired direction. Connect your goals to your values. What’s most important to you about reaching your goals? What will reaching your goals do for you? What will your life be like then? How will reaching your goals make you FEEL?

7. Review often. Stay laser-focused by writing and reading your goals every day. Repetition is one of the keys to re-programming your mental computer for success.

Of course, I have to add my own little rider to this – also adapted from Tom Venuto’s words –

Work HARD at achieving your goals and EXPECT success!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We are goofing off today with our family on one of our ‘most-est’ favourite jaunts – a trip down to Simonstown  – replete with cat box in the boot.  Love that historic place. Now (sorta!)  settled in our new home, I am  ready to rescue a kitten from TEARS – though I greatly fear it may turn out to be two kitties from TEARS as all three of our grandchildren want to be part of the process.  At R450 each, they are not cheap rescues either! But of course we  understand and accept that it is more about donating to an incredible organisation rather than the cost of a kitten per se.

Have a great day everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weight loss – are you battling too?

Man alive, what a struggle I am having this winter with achieving a steady weight loss result every week. Although I do weigh in at Weigh-Less most Thursday mornings, my actual loss chart runs from Sunday am to Sunday am and that chart shows my struggles far too graphically!!

I had a ‘mini-breakthrough’ on the 2nd and since then have been fluctuating a bit down-a bit up-a bit down- you get the idea….

Causes of this? Ah, that part is easy. Not enough water; lax portion control especially with the winter ‘comfort’ foods; erratic mealtimes; eating at my office desk (toast with peanut butter in left hand and right hand still wielding the mouse!!); ‘illegal foods’; occasional piggy binges; not nearly enough physical activity; not enough ‘time out’ for extreme self care; the list goes on and on…

The whole odyssey is about the ‘extreme self care’ that Cheryl Richardson writes about so well. Although I am posting about weight loss today – which is the crucial self care bottom-line for most of us on the journey to best wellness- the other aspects must receive attention too. Serious attention.

OK, so the causes of poor weight loss, no weight loss and, yes, weight gain are no mystery to any of us.

One reason we must consider is this: What eating plan are we actually following? Low fat? Low carb? Atkins? Weigh-Less/Weight Watchers? Crash diet? 4-day ‘Heart Diets’? ‘3 days on/3 days’ off? Growth hormone injections? Considering bariatric surgery?

We HAVE to have a plan. A map. A route. A guide. A GPS. Call it what you will. That much I have learnt from over 4 decades of (often bitter) experience. I have spoken about this before but it does bear repeating!

In a nutshell then:

Where are you now? (Get your health status checked out. Know ALL your ‘numbers’.)

Where are you headed? (Goal weight. Healthy ‘numbers’.Physical fitness.)

How will you get there? (Lifestyle Plan. Write it all down. Get your support team together – appropriate health professionals; your family and/or friends; a mentor you know well and trust? Stop dreaming it. Just action it. Now!)

While facing often overwhelming odds as I do, one thing I know for sure (Oh God, I sound like Oprah) is that I have come this far and there is no turning back! And if the journey to my destination  takes longer than I would like, so. be. it. I am still learning all along the road.

(This post – in fact all my posts – with apologies to my English master Mr Graves who thought he had taught me perfect English grammar! )