Well thats me right now, i last posted some time ago about “my last diet”, either it would work or it would be the last time i ever try. Well you can probably guess right now, i fell off the diet again! Its been two or three weeks since i fell off the plan.

And to top it all in two weeks time i have a course at work that requires every entrant be under a certain weight and i am over it by about 7kg right now.

So, to give up on dieting for life, and accept “i am what i am”…..
Or
Go on an “extreme” diet for two weeks to get in on my course (and not get fired from my job!) and use the two weeks extreme as a kick start to dieting proper again.

Dammit why me………..

]]> http://blogs.shapeupclub.com/leesjourney/2010/06/two-minds/feed/ 2 http://blogs.shapeupclub.com/leesjourney/2010/03/my-last-ever-diet/ http://blogs.shapeupclub.com/leesjourney/2010/03/my-last-ever-diet/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:26:50 +0000 Lee Bennett http://blogs.shapeupclub.com/leesjourney/?p=36 Bit harsh that title eh, and i am still pondering it myself to be fair, but after renewed hope and energy of getting it right this time i have come to the conclusion that this new diet will work, yes it will. And in the unlikely event that it doesn’t then well, thats just something somewhere telling me “you are who you are”.

But anyway after i finished the book i mentioned last week it has given me some new hope that i CAN do this and will this time succeed in getting the weight off for good and learning to control what i eat. I have set a date for April 1st as a new start date of the new “proper” diet, which is of course two days away, and no its not an April fools day joke either. I know its a bit of a cliché for an overweight person to say that old line “i’ll start a diet but not today”, but by setting a firm date i feel more prepared mentally myself that, this is it, the big push. It also given me a chance to take notes of what i eat usually and so i can see the dramatic comparisons from next week.

Started using the shapeup application on my ipod again this week after a silly period when i forgot the password and just never worried about using it, so its been very handy indeed to see just how many calories i do actually eat! I wont mention figures here but lets just say its way way too many, which even i didn’t realise was so many over, it all makes sense now. Doh….

Well i also purchased some new bathroom scales AND some swanky flash digital kitchen scales this week in preparation for keeping accurate measurements of food etc. So here goes for one final ever diet (famous last words?)

Now i know what your thinking…..”Now Lees looking at doing some mad fad diet” like all the other odd diets. Well rest assured the Hackers Diet is actually just a book explaining what we already know ie: ‘Count calories and eat less than you need to lose weight’. But its the way John explains it that works with me, the title gives it away a little. Its written with the Computer Geek or Engineering type person in mind and it likes the human body to objects like thermostats etc so that techy people can really get to grips with certain concepts. And what really is interesting is he uses “trend analysis” formulas to record daily weight and calories burnt so you can actually get a idea of how your doing in comparison to the amount of calories you burned that particular day, now it wont replace the Shapeupclub application and site which is still the best tool for the job, but it could have a use.

So essentially the book recommends exact the same method of dieting as here at Shapeupclub so its all good, i just love the way he explains metabolisms etc in techy talk i can grasp, and its given me a great incite into how things work. Far better than i did have. The book also recommends the “5BX” exercise plan which is a small quick program of sit-ups etc each day, so i may give that a go too.

I highly recommend the book as a read, even if you only read the “engineering” section of the book as it explains how we are “overweight” in the first place rather well.. As its an online book its totally free as well so no harm taking a look. Hope the admins dont mind me adding a link,
The Hackers Diet

Anyway diet wise, hmm thats not been too good either, well i have lost a couple of kilos since Christmas but to be fair thats by more luck than effort. I am still 100% off caffeine and all soft drinks now, so i am still chuffed to be there.

Many of you be pleased to hear i have given up the “shakes” etc, and planning the proper way of calorie counting, been studying a couple of books this week on calories etc. SO, i know its an old cliche (especially for plump folks like me) BUT i am going to start afresh this weekend with the Shapeup App and try for the first time ever to diet the *proper* way, by simply eating less calories than i need. Dumb sounding i know, but like many i tried all the fad diets, shakes etc etc.. Maybe its time i tried things the proper way.

Anyway, i am back, going to set an alarm schedule to recall to do the blog from now on..

Anyway, my progress? Well i am still on a very go slow lifestyle change, i have now been off Caffeine totally for nearly one and a half months and i feel better for it, my life has better routines and i getting more done nowadays i find. I used to stay up to 2-3am on days off and get out bed at midday kind of thing. Now i finding i tired and in bed by midnight and up at 7-8am even if i dont want to be, and getting things done.

So in terms of *diet* i still confess to be on all the old crap i shouldn’t be eating, but i still working on lifestyle before i tackle the big one of diet. I know sounds like an excuse but the Caffeine thing was first, now its to totally get off “soft drinks”, in the next week all soft drinks are out and to be replaced with water and sparkling water, so this is lifestyle change part two.

Then i think after Christmas it will then be lifestyle part 3 and the food dieting will start…..Damn slow progress, but i suppose if it takes 36yrs to become in such a bad way of life, then taking months to make simple little changes bit by bit isnt so odd.

Thanks for kind words, i have achieved something in the past week if not dieting, i have given up caffiene which hasnt been easy, i should say i have sadly been hooked on Diet Coke since as long as i can remember. Yup literally 3-4 litres a day for probably twenty years, no lie. And i think have the battle with starting out on this journey has been attempting to give up foods and my *drug* at the same time, hence the struggles and frustrations last week.

So i not fully off "fizzy pop" just yet as trying to ween myself off gradually. But last Tuesday i had my last Diet Coke and i switched to Diet Sprite instead (i know i know, not much better there!) BUT it has meant i have no more caffiene in my live and boy oh boy have i noticed it! Sadly had headaches everyday for past week and still have one today, which i figure is caffeine withdrawal. And wow, i was always someone who was up til midnight or 1am every night, work or not. But this past week just cutting out the caffeine i have been struggling to stay awake at 9pm and been in bed by 10pm every night. I always claimed to friends that caffiene didnt affect me i was so used to it in big doses, but this week has proved me wrong. After a lifetime of litres of caffeine my body is i think still struggling with having none whatsoever.

So i will contuine on this path for a few more days, and and then going to half the Diet Sprite and substitute it for water for another week and then be on just water and juices after that.

Its slow its painful, and yes to be honest my *Dieting* isnt happening right now i confess. But i think i i shall find the food issue much easier to get into after i have got off the Caffeine and Fizzy Pop for good first.

I try and keep the blog more often, but as i said i been so tired this week after work i never once turned the computer on!

Due to work i hadnt risked starting the doctors plan yet as i didnt want to be going through any kind of headaches of withdrawal symptons whilst i had to work stressful 18hrs days, so i just been cutting back on bad food and trying to lower my caffiene and bad drinks too.

This week i luckily have a quiet week at work so today i am starting out on the doctors plan of shakes / smoothies and one small meal, i have ready for tonight a nice combination of new pototes and lean chicken which believe me for me is weirdly healthy. But until then i have had an apple/banana smoothie with crushed ice, not sure its 100% healthy but hell it tasted good! Lunch will be the first try of these nutritional protien shakes…

Wish me luck..

Well i been struggling to be honest sticking to any kind of diet since i set out a week or so ago, so i today plucked up the courage to seek the Doctors advice on maybe seeing a nutritionilist etc. But got a bit of a shock after he done some checks and looked at some recent previous bloodwork. Basically he is ordering me onto a more extreme diet to start out, which not sure is a good thing or not.

Seems for the next 5-6 weeks i am on Doctors orders to replace two meals with "protein shakes" and then have a balanced small meal of an evening bringing a daily total calories to about 1000 only! Oh my god hope he knows best? His theory (and sounds plausablie) is that a sudden more extreme approach to start off with will and i quote "kickstart" my sluggish body and metabolism into life and start to get used to the fact it will have to survive on much much less. He also states that seeing such immideate fast results that i should, that he feels it will be a massive morale and confidence booster and will help me stay on track when the 6 weeks is over and turn to more *normal* dieting, now this in theory sounds great, but one small meal a day and then shakes? Hmm not convinced just yet.

So he has done it anyhow, sent me off packing to the pharmacy with prescription for these "clinically proven" milkshake things, and well i suppose and food gone forever.

This has not been quite the start to my diet i had in mind to be fair, but after his chat about bloodwork etc and scary comments made about my health and future, i would be a fool not to follow his advice. So protien milkshakles it is, and small morcels of food later.

Just hope i dont end up with huge withdrawel symptons as got about 40hrs work to do in the next two days! Got to love those 18hr days with little or no breaks!

Laters