My Weight Loss Program

Ok, I guess it is time to write about my weight loss program and my progress to date. My heaviest recorded weight was in summer 2006, with a weight of 139.9kg. I felt terrible, I couldnt do anything and had really let myself go. After getting a virus and being sick and not eating for a few days, I had dropped a few kilo's. This gave me the start and incentive that I needed. And now I have changed my whole lifestyle.

Before, I was a nightowl and stayed up all night. Because of this, I never got anything done during the day plus my eating habits were dreadful. I would have breakfast when I woke up and skip lunch. Then I would snack late in the afternoon, have big late dinners, and then have midnight snacks. Many nights I would have a huge dinner and an hour later be hungry again because of letting my blood sugar drop so low. This combined with hardly any exercise and a lot of time on the computer or in front of the tv, meant that I was on a downhill slide.

Now my life is completely different. I think there are a lot of things that I can improve on, but it is so much better than it was, and it is definitely a start on getting things on track. A couple of weeks ago, I had lost a total of 13kg. Then I got a new set of digital scales and they read a couple of kilo's more. But I have still lost a total of 11.5 kg by the new scales and I now take my readings by the new scales. And I should mention that I am doing it entirely on my own, no diet fads, no clubs, just the support of Hans and a few friends.

So, what have I changed? First I changed my sleeping habits. I still have a few late nights but now I am usually in bed between 12 and 1am. And I am often up around 9 and 9.30. This means that there is NO late night snacking anymore. It is very rare that I eat after dinner now. And I have dinner no later than 8pm if it can be helped. It also means that I eat 3 proper meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am eating a bit less at dinner time also, and because I am eating properly during the day and my blood sugar stays at good levels, I am usually feeling full and satisfied still from dinner, right up till I go to bed. I do get hungry in the late afternoon and usually have a snack but I have good snacks now, which I will tell you about shortly. I also try to have something every 3 to 4 hours apart. This prevents the blood sugar levels from dropping and the metabolism going.

What do I eat? Well, as my friends know, I dont eat vegetables or salads. I love fruit but the only vegies I eat are potato (all types), pumpkin, carrot, onion, and beans. And I only eat them cooked. This can be a problem when trying to lose a lot of weight but I work on eating what I can and sometimes eat other vegies in cooked dinners. For example, I always add a heap of chopped fresh tomato to many meals, such as chilli, lasagne, etc. This gives me a good serve of tomato. I also eat a lot of fruit and will often have fruit for dessert, either a small serve of fruit salad, or a couple of mandarins, or a fruit yoghurt, etc. And I try to have a banana with breakfast every morning. Now that I have mentioned my not eating vegies, here is what I do eat :)

Breakfast: I start every morning with a cup of tea, a banana, an Actimel drink for the immune system, and a Becel Pro Active drink to lower cholestrol. That is unless I have run out of one or more. With these I then have either a modifast milk shake or 2 Weet Bix.

Lunch: Lunch is nearly always the same unless I have run out and have something a bit different. And that same thing is 4 or 5 slices of bread (the bread is sliced very thin in Belgium, slices are half as thick as Australia and also thinner than Holland). I put a little butter on the bread but not too much and I use Becel with no cholestrol in it. And then I have liverwurst on the sandwiches. Liverwurst if high in fat but I love it. And because I dont eat vegies, have very little red meat, and my iron levels were way too low (below the minimum that it should be) before I started dieting, then I continue with this as liver is a good source of iron.

Dinner: This varies enormously. Many nights I have a bowl of soup with a couple of sandwiches. I eat a lot of bread. And soup is very low in calories and fat. And most contain vegies that I would not normally eat. My favourite soups are cream of tomato, goulash soup, or varieties of chicken. An occasional onion soup is also nice. Sometimes I skip the soup and just have a couple of toasted sandwiches, such as cheese and pineapple. I also have pasta as often as I can. Pasta is also very low in fat and contrary to many opinions, it is very good for diets. When I was going to Jenny Craig for a while in Australia, she had a number of pasta dishes. And going by the weight watchers points system in Holland, you can have a free serve of unfilled pasta for just 3 points. Spaghetti Bolognaise is a good example, the pasta fills you up, you can have a free serve, plus I get my vegies in the sauce. And where I used to add a heap of grated cheese, I now only sprinkle a little parmesan on top. I do also add lean minced beef to mine which also gives me a serve of red meat. Other nights I do have the usual meat (or fish) and vegies or a rice dinner (such as tonight's home made fried rice). But rice is not as good as pasta for losing weight so dont have too much. I try not to have anything deep fried but have had a serve of hot chips a couple of times with fish. Otherwise, now when I fry anything I am going eat, I only use a little diet oil or olive oil.

Snacks: Here is where my biggest change is, I think. Now, 9 times out of 10, my snack is a couple of rice cakes, either plain or with cottage cheese on them. You can get a variety of flavoured rice cakes now. There is even chocoate ones and cheese flavoured ones. I like the cheese flavoured and they are still only 38 calories each. I prefer them with a little cottage cheese on top but it isnt necessary. Sometimes I do have something a little different but mostly, that is my snack. If I have something different, it is either a banana, mandarins, a 0% fat and 0% added sugar fruit yoghurt, a slice of cheese, pretzels, etc. Pretzels also make a good diet snack.

Before, I loved my cheese, chocolate, chips, and all sorts of bad goodies. And I am suprised at how easy it has been to not have these at times. I still do eat a lot of cheese but try to eat only a slice here and there. Occasionally I will have a few plain crackers with a bit of cheese on them or I will have a slice of cheese as a snack. You do need a certain amount of dairy in the diet as well, for calcium. I dont always buy the low fat cheese. It can be a pain buying different kinds of cheese for us both and if you are sensible and not having it very often, then a slice or two is not going to make a huge difference. I do crave chocolate or potato crisps now and again but I find that it is much easier to just ignore the cravings if there isnt any of that in the house. If there isnt any in the house, then after a short time, the cravings just disappear. It is much harder not to give into temptation if they are in the house. I do allow myself a little chocolate now and again. For example, I had a small chocolate from Sinterklaas and a little chocolate at xmas. If you refuse to ever eat anything you love, you will only get fed up with the diet and resent it, eventually failing. The main thing is not too often and in moderation.

I have some major changes to my diet. I have cut out a lot of fat, I use only good cooking oils, I choose healthier snacks, swapped sweetener in my coffee instead of sugar, I make sure I have 3 proper meals a day (no skipping meals), I have cut out eating at night (especially late at night), and I try not to let my blood sugar drop too low. Also, when I shop, I always check the fat content and calorie content on items. I used to live on pizza's and I have not had a pizza since I have been on the date, 13 weeks now. I also made hamburgers before but now I make them using a piece of lean steak instead of fatty hamburger patties. These changes, together with better sleeping habits and a more active lifestyle, have made for major improvements. I am feeling so much better in myself. I feel healthier, I can do more, and I am also happier. I know that I will have to make more changes as time goes on. For starters, I dont drink as much water as I should yet. And I will have to cut meal sizes and fat content back more, etc. But for now, I seem to be doing something right and it is working.

Here is a photo of me at my starting weight, 139.2kg.....

I dont notice too much of a difference yet and mostly the difference I do see is in the face. But out of the 13 weeks there is only 2 that I did not lose anything, and those 2 weeks I didnt gain either, I stayed the same. Mostly it is only half a kilo a week and last week it was only 0.3kg but that is better. If you lose it slow, it is more likely to stay off. And I can definitely feel it in my clothes. Every Monday morning I get up and before I eat breakfast, the first thing I do is weigh in and take my measurements. I take 11 measurements in all, including neck, wrist, and ankle. I have so far lost 3cm off the neck. I also have a waist now that I never had for a long time......lol. I keep all my stats along with a graph, on the first page of a spreadsheet in Excel. My second page contains my daily ritual (time I get up, what housework I do not including things like the cooking and dishes, what extra exercise I do, what home exercises I do, and what time I go to bed). The third page of the spreadsheet is where I write down ALL I eat. Every day I put in what I have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I even include cups of tea and coffee.

The last page is where I have my goals and rewards listed. I think it is important to reward yourself for doing such a good job. It makes it fun, and gives incentive and encouragement to continue. My first goal was the loss of my first 10kg (reaching 129kg) and my new digital scales were the reward. Now most of my goals are every 5kg more I lose. If I am only losing an average of half a kilo a week, then that is still about 10 weeks between rewards. My next goal is 124kg and for that I have put down to have a manicure and pedicure. At 119kg (a total loss of 20kg), I would like to get a new computer chair as mine is broken and terribly uncomfortable. I might put my goals and rewards in the side column here so that you can see what they are.

Well, I think this post is well and truly long enough........lol. I will save my activity and exercise info for another post :) I will also tell you in another post, a bit about my friend, Amanda, who has so far lost over 20kg and is a major source of inspiration to me. I would love to hear from others with similar experiences and goals. And if you are dieting, hang in there, it is all worth it!!!