Week 1

As week 1 draws to a close, I wanted to acknowledge what a lovely response I had to my Facebook post. Lots of really supportive comments, which are very much appreciated, and a few people contacted me separately to tell me their own stories. This has really buoyed my spirits and further emphasises that this is a good idea, and is going to be a worthwhile experience.

I thought long & hard about going public with all this, but judging from that response, it's absolutely the right thing - though anyone who knows me could also tell you that the chances of me not doing this publically & on Facebook were as slim as I hope to get! 😂 If this helps kickstart others into action, then great - even if I have made myself a hostage to fortune!

I was very reticent about starting this process - I think I've become afraid of losing weight, paradoxically given my 2 year flirtation with Slimming World, because I've become so accustomed to being a fat knacker over the last decade or so that I've forgotten what it is to be slimmer, and wonder what I'll look like if I lose this weight. I worry about having to get new trousers, new clothes - and the associated cost of that. Silly things to worry about maybe but all contribute to the "it's too difficult / expensive / much bother" excuse culture which I've allowed to build! But then I catch sight of that enormous belly in a photo when I've forgotten to hold it in, or in a reflection as I walk past a shop window, and have to accept that the status quo isn't good enough anymore. I'm having a midriff crisis, and have been for some considerable time.

Anyway, to business! Last weekend we finally got our broken oven replaced, so it was one last weekend of stuff which is off the list for the next few months - pizza with handmade dough, a couple of beers with friends on Satuday afternoon, scoffing my daughter's leftover crisps after she got back from her picnic...#killmenow...but I'd been drinking the required amount of water for the previous week so I was ready to go on Monday morning.

My nutritionist Vanusa (you can follow her on Instagram) has set up a cracking 4 week diet plan for me to follow. Every month we'll have an appointment to discuss how it's going, what changes need to be made, and revise the plan - but the first one is great. To be completely honest, when I got it, my heart sank a bit, because all the food has to be weighed and it didn't look very much - 140g of protein at lunchtime, 130g in the evening, with measured amounts of veg too. 4 tablespoons of rice some days, 4 tablespoons of Quinoa on others. It doesn't sound like much, does it. But to my surprise - and relief - it turns out to be just fine. So far! Maybe this is because the amount of water I'm drinking - 3.4 litres each day - is taking the edge off the hunger. There's probably some more technical explanation! Everything I'm eating is accounted for - 3 meals, plus 2 snacks. All measured, nothing left to chance. And one week in, I've managed to maintain a laserlike focus on it!

I posted my first week's meals on Instagram, and I can honestly say there was only one duffer, where I undercooked the aubergines. Other than that, no complaints! I went out cycling today, and it was a bit strange not to have cake when we stopped, but it was fine and I managed. Had a pot of tea and felt virtuous!

Anyway, here are 3 examples of the week's fare:

Breakfast

Avocado, bacon, poached eggs, spinach

Lunch

Minced beef, butternut squash, salad

Dinner

Prawns fired in garlic, chilli, butter & courgettes

So far so good. I weighed myself this morning, and in the 2 weeks since the official weigh in at the clinic, I've dropped nearly 4kg. Not bad, eh?!

See you next week, thanks for reading.

Comments

  1. Kev Winchcombe20 September 2020 at 12:04

    Fantastic weight loss, but more than that the food you are eating looks tremendous and I'm going to get that'll make it easier to stick to. But 4kg loss, come on, give the rest of us a chance :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew Stroud21 September 2020 at 01:56

      thanks Kev! But remember, the 6 months takes me through winter & Xmas - so darker days are ahead!

      Delete

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