Now, I
appreciate I may have appeared to give up on the diet/blog/both since
March and to some extent, if I’m honest, I did. I slacked off, let my
iron clad grip on my self-restraint slip slightly
and began to give myself a couple more cheat days a week. This was not
conducive to keeping up my rate of weight loss, as demonstrated by the
above performance but I started to find it incredibly difficult to
actually enjoy a meal out while still keeping to
the diet. I’ve still lost some weight – and I’ve definitely indulged a
little bit, had too many starters when I didn’t need to and maybe eaten a
little bit much cheese.
I have,
however, been running as much as I can motivate myself to. This is about
10k a week so not a bad amount at all, in my opinion –
if I was settling for being my current weight and fitness. I do
not believe in settling for less, and I do not expect anyone else to
settle for less on my behalf. I would rather be described as
‘impressive’ and ‘outstanding’ than ‘pretty good’ or ‘good
enough’.
So what
have I done to amend my wayward weight ways? Mainly, more running. And
skipping starters as well as deserts – and keeping to my promise of
actually going to the gym or some kind of exercise
class that isn’t just running. I want to make sure I’m not letting
myself down, which I have to admit I was after I finished my first year.
BUT NO
LONGER! I’m back on the boat, the band wagon, the weight-loss diet-train
and happy to be there! Or I tell myself I am at least; it’s still tough
work. Easier than originally on some fronts
– I am equipped with much more knowledge and armed with experience from
my first year so I have better habits and behavioural patterns.
However, I need to eat less to lose the same amount of weight, or work
out more to allow myself to eat more. How am I managing
it?
Food first, as always! Breakfast is an epic feast of a banana and not one but
two Actimel yogurts – a grand total of about 150-180 calories. This is followed by a lunch time indulgence of a
whole bowl of salad and bacon strips which I count at an average
of 400 calories and about four of my five/six/eight/ten portions of
fruit and vegetables your meant to have each day, depending on which
country you’re from. This total extravagance of
about 600 calories leaves an impressive 700 for dinner, which is an
absolutely massive meal of pasta, spinach, kale, asparagus, sweetcorn
and some form of meet which is usually chicken unless I have some
sausages available – this rare, since I don’t often
buy them for fear of waking up on Saturday
morning and eating all of them at once in a medicinal, hangover-fueled
feast. So as you can see, my food life is full of fun and freedom.
Sure, some may call this ‘impossible’ or ‘oppressive’ or, even,
‘absolutely
ridiculous’. Which aren’t entirely unfair phrases.
Which is
why I exercise as well! I aim for 10-15km a week over two or three
days, yoga and swimming once a week each, thirty press-ups, crunches,
tricep lifts and squats a day and some assorted
stretches. Intense, non? Compared with where I started – occasionally
walking to/from the pub – this is an incredible amount, and being honest
sucks up a lot of my time. I even do some weight lifting in my back
garden with my brother something I don’t think
anyone who knows me would have predicted. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it
as such, but I do find it rewarding – not only is my fitness increasing
but I get to eat more as well, thereby surviving on more than a
starvation diet. Silver linings, right?
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