TOOLS

For me to lose weight it was all about counting the calories - consistently sticking to a limit that had me losing weight each week. I don't claim to be an expert and need to put in the disclaimer of any responsibility for how you do your thing ... this blog has come about because I started to create a data base that would have all the meals that I found were tasty and fit within my calorie limit, then I thought others might appreciate this ... below are also some tools that helped me along the way.

CALORIE COUNTING APP / WEBSITE
I had been told that to lose a pound a week (half a kg) I needed to cut down my calorie intake by 3500 calories a week (divided by 7 days is cutting down 500 calories a day) but I had NO idea what that meant. What did 500 calories look like? What did 1500 calories a day look like?

So .... I got myself a calorie counting app on my iPad. I first joined Livestrong and then I got the app MyFitnessPal mainly for the database set to the local country (have tried in three different countries) and accuracy of calories burnt from exercise (you burn less when you weigh less).

To start with I just recorded what I ate. No limits, just mindfulness. This way I could discover where I could save a few calories really easily e.g. 1 slice of cheese instead of 2 saved 100 calories - then a low fat slice of cheese saved a further 50 calories (so went from 200 down to 50 calories of cheese in one sandwich).

MEASURING EQUIPMENT
What does 100g look like?? What does 50ml look like??

Get some electronic scales and measuring spoons / cups! 10g of butter is 70 calories so grams count!

Calculator - another handy thing to have around. When I'm serving meals for people of different appetites I'll struggle to work out the percentage of my meal without a calculator!
There's one online :-)

Also measure your own progress - whatever works for you. I weighed in the same day each week.

When I was in a slower weight loss zone (very close to my goal) the tracking literally kept me on track. Although it took three months to lose what only took me two weeks when I started - eventually I was 5 pounds less than three months before


BASIC EXERCISE
Grab some good walking shoes or a duster.

The amount of calories burnt with a bit of light cleaning or a even paced walk is quite satisfying. Just a 20 minute brisk walk gave me about 70 calories. I park my car half a mile from work and that gives me two After Eight mint slices for desert.

A handy website is: 'Calories Per Hour' - can help calculate calories burnt from variety of activities (from Accordian playing, folding clothes, kissing, rice harvesting to yard work).


KEEP IT SIMPLE
The simple consistent message is: eat less and do more!

There is so much information out there about weight loss, healthy living and exercise. Whilst I was in the 'diet' phase of having a daily net intake of 1200 calories a day the only thing I focused on was keeping to my limit. I didn't feel guilty about having a chocolate cookie instead of an apple. I would walk for 20 minutes and happily log that as an achievement to claim my after dinner mints (therefore a 1300 a day limit). I enjoyed the taste and sweetness and feeling satisfied because I was able to have a 'treat' on a 'diet'!

Although I wanted to be healthy the motivation was first my size. Once I was in a maintenance space  I was able to focus on the cleanliness of my diet. The 'Fat Flush' diet by Ann Louise Gittleman has a lot of helpful advice and recipes for looking after the Liver (the fat burning power house of the body). This isn't in my "keep it simple" range but important for the long haul. See this article about how to counteract feelings of constant tiredness

MANAGE EMOTIONS
The old lifestyle has to be forgotten not forlorn.

Being in the 'maintanence' phase is a different psychological journey. It has it's pros and cons. A down side is having to stay focused and on track for the long haul.

One benefit is that I now feel confident to digest some useful information about emotional eating. For example one blog post I found about the difference between binge-eating and over-eating and another that provides a chart about emotional eating.



COACHING AND VISUALISATION
Visualise the end goal. Feel it, experience it, desire it.

Years ago I attended a Tony Robbins seminar - and at the end of it I walked across red hot burning coals. An amazing experience. He gave us the tools throughout the day to visualise us succeeding in getting across to the other side, to feel the cool moss under our feet, to talk about the exhilaration of being there. The power of that visualisation got me over.

Paul McKenna's book 'I Can Make You Thin' uses similar techniques. Any coaching / self-help book will ask you to visualise. It helps ignite the motivation to move out of the comfort zone and into new territory - and to stay on track.


ONE DAY AT A TIME
Be prepared for down days. Also be prepared for having to deal with your inner self once you get to that goal weight - because I found that "me" did not actually change. It's taken some time to fit my soul into my new body. Personally, I'm also dealing with perfection and trying to appreciate the now.

On the down days I focus on getting to the end of it with some self respect. Then allow my body to sleep well and start again tomorrow. It's hard to do and takes practice. Luckily the sun always goes down and then rises again for a new day and a shining green 1300 showing on my calorie counting app.


PLANNING
When I find it hard to stay motivated, to accept myself and to respect myself I revert to good old planning ... I plan out my days meals and just focus on getting through that day with what I've prepared for myself. It's not fool proof - those chocolates produced by a work colleague at 4pm will still be calling (that low adrenaline, snack hitting time can still get me off kilter some days) but I find it so much easier to avoid the temptations (or have to deal with the decision making) when I've planned out my meals and packed my lunch and snacks for the day.

In my blog I have shared a Typical day of meals planned out at a time when I was trying to get back on track.

The old age habits of not wanting to waste any food does come into it. So if I have packed a lunch I then find it easier to say 'no thanks, I've already got something I'm looking forward to'. Of course if I do indulge I need to feel ok about not having the food in my pre-packed lunch bag and save it until tomorrow -  or throw it in the rubbish! Paul McKenna says - "is it better in the rubbish or building fat on your belly?" It's ok to throw away stuff left on the plate.


STAYING ON TRACK
Going with the flow and not being mindful of what I was eating were probably the two biggest reasons for being big in the past. Sure life can be fun when it's spontaneous and carefree. In my past that was also associated with food (and alcohol). I was  however miserable with my body image. Ironically the techniques for change must come with self-acceptance and yet self-acceptance is bloody hard when you're not being self-respectful!

Think of train tracks - if you have two tracks that have been going straight on a particular direction for a few miles they end up at point X - if those tracks had been moved just one centimeter at the beginning of their journey then in a few miles they will have swooped their way into a completely different direction, miles away from point X. Small changes make a big difference. Staying on track with that new direction day after day will get you to that new place eventually!

A more fluid analogy is to think of the path of a boat - veering just a few degrees will mean the boat ends up in a completely different place.

Whatever works for you ... slowly persevering on the right path with a bit of pressure will get results.