I’m slim and fit but after the summer holidays I’d put on 7lbs (after trying to get rid of 3lbs unsuccessfully). Trying to cut out biscuits, cakes and even worse chocolate was a nightmare, I’m not even going to discuss giving up alcohol, that would be ridiculous.
I could blame this on doing a sedentary job – food writer, but as with all weight gain it’s down to eating too much food than my body needs to operate. At the end of the day food is fuel, if we eat too much our bodies store it as fat and it was the fat I wanted to get rid of.
My problem area is my legs, I look pretty good in a bikini from the hips up as long as stay in the sea or the pool, when I get out from the hips down it’s a disaster area. I look out of proportion, a classic pear shape and I have fat knees. There, I said it, that was really hard, but I admit I have fat knees and NEVER get them out in public unless I’m in ‘skinny mode’ and I haven’t been in skinny mode for a few years.
I could make the excuse that it’s my age. Do I admit it? OK I’m 49. It’s not, my age probably doesn’t help, let’s stop kidding ourselves here, it’s food and eating too much of the lovely stuff. OK your metabolism slows down when you hit your 40s and especially after menopause, (been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, went into early menopause and I have an under-active thyroid which doesn’t help when it comes to losing weight). Oooh slap myself, there’s another excuse.
We eat to fuel our bodies, we should eat sufficient to keep our bodies going, eat the right type of food to make sure our body has the nutrients it needs to keep healthy, drink lots of water rather than wine and make sure that we don’t consume more than that or it turns into fat as that’s the only thing our body knows what to do with it. Our body worries that there may be a famine so needs fat stores just in case. Our body doesn’t realise that there is always a supermarket round the corner and famine is extremely unlikely, it has a bit of catching up to do.
I know what I should eat and mostly I eat very healthily. There is the occasion when I grab a bowl of coco pops when I’m on a copy deadline as it’s easier than reheating soup. I only drink at the weekend (mostly) but I have a real issue at 4pm, then the biscuit barrel beckons and it may only be 2 biscuits but its still 2 biscuits. Then there’s chocolate. Hmm, over the past few years I’ve managed to go without chocolate for around 24 hours maximum and that’s been hard, yes, I eat chocolate every day, it’s bad I know but I admit I’m a real sugar and chocolate addict.
Things had to change, I refuse to hit 50 with lumpy legs and when I found I couldn’t get into my jeans, or I could, but I couldn’t walk or breath, it wasn’t a good moment.
Back when I was 29 I had a bit of crisis as we were thinking of having children and I was terrified of losing my figure so decided to train to a silly level and competed in a Figure body building competition (the slim, toned one not the one with big muscles that’s Physique), I came 3rd in the country but I couldn’t keep up the training regime now with three children, 2 dogs etc.
I know what I have to do, finding the motivation to do it is another thing. I’m very focussed until 4pm then it goes to pot.
Something has to change, this has been going on since I hit 40, I’ve done all sorts of daft things to try and lost the last 3lbs (before I added another 7 lbs this summer). I trained for the London marathon and ran it in 4 hours 30 mins. Did I tone up and lose the 3 lbs, no, I didn’t, not a pound, or an inch. I tap dance one a week, I cycle a couple of times a week and try and get down the gym a couple of time a week too. Last year I took up fencing too, no weight off.
So how do I change, what do I do and how to I find the motivation to sort my diet out………it’s food, 80% of getting into shape and losing weight whether it’s 10lbs or 5 stone is down to food, the stuff we put into our mouths. Maybe it’s time to give up sugar?