Basically, I'm 47 and despite years of denial, it is becoming very clear that I can't keep on eating like I did when I was a teenager. I'm impressed by just how long I've been able to look in the mirror and think things are just fine, but some cartoons are too close to the mark...
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| (They could at least have left the bald spot out!) |
I did have a reasonable amount of success a year or so ago with a diet recommended to me by a good friend. It wasn't a fad diet or one that needs endless abstinence, just a simple shift of intake away from carbohydrates and towards protein instead. That appealed, because I am notoriously unable to resist temptation, so substitution worked far better than self-denial. I lost a fair amount that way - of the order of 9-10kg, and felt rather better for it. But it bottomed out there at a weight of about 100kg, and I found it hard to get any further. I remember being 85kg as a youngster, in full RAF fast jet flying kit... so to get back to the low 90s would be nice. But although I haven't weighed myself for some time, I rather suspect that it has all come back.
Recently, I've come to the view I have to do something. I've been feeling tired and sluggish, and my trousers are definitely a bit tighter around the waist than is comfortable. Then I found myself walking back to the office at lunchtime and trying to talk on the phone at the same time, and realised I was getting breathless. That won't do. The last straw was seeing a candid photo of me from the side, in a Silverstone garage in my race suit; now, my race suit is fairly flattering from the front, but it isn't from the side. It really isn't...
These are the early warning signs. I don't want them to get any louder.
Then there is the racing, of course. We fanatically try to get the weight off our cars, but I'm carrying somewhere up to 20kg that I don't need. And, coincidentally, my car and I (together) are about 20kg over the minimum weight limit for my racing series. So if I could lose all that, it would translate directly into faster laptimes.
A random Twitter link last week pointed me at Dr Michael Mosley, the founder of the 5:2 diet. I'd seen that referenced a few other times, so knew it was a thing. So I had a look over his website, and liked what I saw. The idea of his diet is that you (almost) fast for two days a week, which triggers metabolic changes that help in various ways (as well as reducing your overall food intake). So I bought his book, and his experiences before starting his regime chimed with mine.
So, from now on, Mondays and Wednesday are my fast days. I'll be aiming to get to around 600 calories on those days - a quarter the "ideal" male level. Tomorrow's menu is:
Breakfast - two boiled eggs
Lunch - an apple, if I feel I need it
Supper - tuna, tomatoes, wholemeal bread
I'll be weighing in tonight before I go to sleep. I hope to be brave enough to post the figure up here.
If you've read this far, then please stick around, please comment, please keep me honest. You never, know, you might save a life ;-)
Ok, I just weighed in at 107.5kg. That's rather less than I thought, I was expecting something over 110kg. So I only have 15kg to lose, instead of the 20+ I was expecting. That's good.
ReplyDeleteAt that weight, my BMI is 34, so I'm distinctly under-tall. Some way to go, then, even if I do discount BMI a little based on the fact I have a somewhat muscular frame*.
*do not, I repeat do not, refer me to the cartoon above. Thank you.
Keep at it. I have managed to lose 15kg since coming to live in Netherlands 18 months ago. All I did was switch my eating habits having a cooked lunch I'm the canteen and a light supper. Cut put the bread, crisps and chocplate. It helps that I do play badminton at least once a week and go to gym a couple of times a week. Tipped the scales at 91kg and thought I needed to do something about it. Target weight is 72kg so another 4 to go.
ReplyDeleteThanks Henry!
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