Hi i'm new
- Thread starter Dave W
- Start date
Dave W
Member
Thank you for your reply.
I found starting on Jan 1st was very good as it gave me a fixed starting point. I know exactly how much i've lost and how long its taken me.
I was lucky enough to join a free 12 week course run by the NHS in conjunction with Hull City Football Club called "Fitfans" unfortunately the scheme has ended due
to government cut backs.
The course was brilliant it took place at the KC Stadium and consisted of a talk lasting approx 40 minutes on a different aspect of health /dieting each week for the 12 weeks.
The subjects we covered were Carbohydrates, Metabolism, Fats, Physical Activity, Cholesterol, Fibre, Skeletal Bone health, Psychology of eating, Understanding food labels, Energy balance
and weight maintenance, Optimum Nutrition & The Glycaemic Index.
The remaining 40 minutes of the session consisted of exercise. Walking round the pitch at first then gradually increasing it week by week as we put into practise what we learned in the talks.
We did exercise in the players warm up area using their exercise bikes etc. We also used the dug out / technical areas to carry out our exercise sessions. All in all it was a very inspirational and
motivational place to carry out these sessions. On the last day week 12 I ran up the pitch to concourse steps. Ran along the concourse, Ran down the next set, Ran pitch side, Then Ran up the next set
and so on round the entire KC stadium. It was a brilliant way to finish the course.
i started the course weighing 110.5 kgs. at week 12 I was down to 99.9kgs .
My main cause of weight gain was i drank to much alcohol. i drank at least 4 pints a night at home every night for at least 2 years prior to me starting my diet. My excuse was it was for stress relief
I also used to snack while i drank crisps peanuts and savoury things like that. i also never used to eat breakfast.
I found out on my course that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Also that it should be part of a five point diet so your body never goes into stavation mode. Eating breakfast , followed by a mid morning healthy snack,
Then lunch, Then my evening meal, Finally something light about 10pm.
A typical days diet for me now is breakfast consisting of fruit and fibre cereal and a cup of coffee with sweeteners. Mid morning i have an apple and a cup of tea with no sugar. Lunch i usually have a sandwich in brown bread something
like Ham tomato and cucumber without mayo or salad cream & a low calorie snack like "French fries or quavers which are approx 80 calories each My evening meal is what ever the family are having as its to much hassle to do
something separately. In the evening i drink bottled flavoured water as it is virtually calorie free. At 10pm i'll have one maybe two plain breadsticks. I've virtually stopped drinking alcohol at home with the exception of Saturday night
which is treat night were we have a takeaway such as a pizza or a Doner Kebab. Then i might have a couple of cans of beer. So far this year i drunk just 4 pints of beer. i did the dryathlon so i didn't have any alcohol in January.
Regarding snacking i virtually cut out the crisps and peanuts completely. Now i'll have one or two of somebody else's crisps instead of opening a bag myself. This is one the hard parts. I love savoury food like sausage rolls and pork pies
all laden with calories.
At the same time as my dietry changes i started doing more exercise. I started by brisk walking ideally 120 steps per minute for about 40 minutes which is approx 2 miles. then gradually each week i started jogging part of the course. (There
is a two mile square of four roads near to me which i use as my course) by April i was half walking half jogging the course. By June i was jogging the full course and doing it 3 times a week and i have built up my exercise regime a little bit
at a time until in October i joined a gym. i now go 3/4 times a week and each session lasts about 90 minutes.
Earlier today i brisk walked 1.5 miles to the Gym did a 100 minute session consisting of 60 minutes cardio and 40 minutes on the weight machines. Then i jogged the 1.5 miles home. so a s you can see my exercise sessions have increased
considerably.
One great thing i do as well is try to walk 10000 steps a day. It is golden number. If you achieve that target you will lose weight. I got a cheap pedometer which i were on my belt which records the steps i take. If you put 10000 steps
into Google it brings up lots of useful links.
Finally as part of my exercise regime i use H.I.T (High intensity training). Now i am nearly physically fit i am able to do this. It consists of 3 sessions of 20 seconds of extremly hard exercise were you double your heart rate. I do while i'm
on the exercise bike at the gym and i space the 20 second bursts approx 3 minutes apart during a 10 minute session on the bike. Again if you put H.I.T into google it brings up lots of information about it. note i was exercising a year before
i attempted it.
Finally what have I found difficult. Cutting out alcohol and snacks at first. Going out exercising in february. The main thing by far is when you hit a plateau and you don't seem to lose any weight no matter how hard you try. However suddenly
you're over it and the weight comes off again.
I'm lucky because i have develped cast iron will power and self discipline and it is now a mind set.
Above all you have to be patient. Losing weight the correct way doesn't happen quick enough for most people. The buzz you get when someone compliments you on how you look is amazing. Also when i started my waist was 40". On saturday
i bought a pair of 34" waist jeans. This has really given me a buzz.
Hope my dietry life story helps and i wish you good luck
I found starting on Jan 1st was very good as it gave me a fixed starting point. I know exactly how much i've lost and how long its taken me.
I was lucky enough to join a free 12 week course run by the NHS in conjunction with Hull City Football Club called "Fitfans" unfortunately the scheme has ended due
to government cut backs.
The course was brilliant it took place at the KC Stadium and consisted of a talk lasting approx 40 minutes on a different aspect of health /dieting each week for the 12 weeks.
The subjects we covered were Carbohydrates, Metabolism, Fats, Physical Activity, Cholesterol, Fibre, Skeletal Bone health, Psychology of eating, Understanding food labels, Energy balance
and weight maintenance, Optimum Nutrition & The Glycaemic Index.
The remaining 40 minutes of the session consisted of exercise. Walking round the pitch at first then gradually increasing it week by week as we put into practise what we learned in the talks.
We did exercise in the players warm up area using their exercise bikes etc. We also used the dug out / technical areas to carry out our exercise sessions. All in all it was a very inspirational and
motivational place to carry out these sessions. On the last day week 12 I ran up the pitch to concourse steps. Ran along the concourse, Ran down the next set, Ran pitch side, Then Ran up the next set
and so on round the entire KC stadium. It was a brilliant way to finish the course.
i started the course weighing 110.5 kgs. at week 12 I was down to 99.9kgs .
My main cause of weight gain was i drank to much alcohol. i drank at least 4 pints a night at home every night for at least 2 years prior to me starting my diet. My excuse was it was for stress relief
I also used to snack while i drank crisps peanuts and savoury things like that. i also never used to eat breakfast.
I found out on my course that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Also that it should be part of a five point diet so your body never goes into stavation mode. Eating breakfast , followed by a mid morning healthy snack,
Then lunch, Then my evening meal, Finally something light about 10pm.
A typical days diet for me now is breakfast consisting of fruit and fibre cereal and a cup of coffee with sweeteners. Mid morning i have an apple and a cup of tea with no sugar. Lunch i usually have a sandwich in brown bread something
like Ham tomato and cucumber without mayo or salad cream & a low calorie snack like "French fries or quavers which are approx 80 calories each My evening meal is what ever the family are having as its to much hassle to do
something separately. In the evening i drink bottled flavoured water as it is virtually calorie free. At 10pm i'll have one maybe two plain breadsticks. I've virtually stopped drinking alcohol at home with the exception of Saturday night
which is treat night were we have a takeaway such as a pizza or a Doner Kebab. Then i might have a couple of cans of beer. So far this year i drunk just 4 pints of beer. i did the dryathlon so i didn't have any alcohol in January.
Regarding snacking i virtually cut out the crisps and peanuts completely. Now i'll have one or two of somebody else's crisps instead of opening a bag myself. This is one the hard parts. I love savoury food like sausage rolls and pork pies
all laden with calories.
At the same time as my dietry changes i started doing more exercise. I started by brisk walking ideally 120 steps per minute for about 40 minutes which is approx 2 miles. then gradually each week i started jogging part of the course. (There
is a two mile square of four roads near to me which i use as my course) by April i was half walking half jogging the course. By June i was jogging the full course and doing it 3 times a week and i have built up my exercise regime a little bit
at a time until in October i joined a gym. i now go 3/4 times a week and each session lasts about 90 minutes.
Earlier today i brisk walked 1.5 miles to the Gym did a 100 minute session consisting of 60 minutes cardio and 40 minutes on the weight machines. Then i jogged the 1.5 miles home. so a s you can see my exercise sessions have increased
considerably.
One great thing i do as well is try to walk 10000 steps a day. It is golden number. If you achieve that target you will lose weight. I got a cheap pedometer which i were on my belt which records the steps i take. If you put 10000 steps
into Google it brings up lots of useful links.
Finally as part of my exercise regime i use H.I.T (High intensity training). Now i am nearly physically fit i am able to do this. It consists of 3 sessions of 20 seconds of extremly hard exercise were you double your heart rate. I do while i'm
on the exercise bike at the gym and i space the 20 second bursts approx 3 minutes apart during a 10 minute session on the bike. Again if you put H.I.T into google it brings up lots of information about it. note i was exercising a year before
i attempted it.
Finally what have I found difficult. Cutting out alcohol and snacks at first. Going out exercising in february. The main thing by far is when you hit a plateau and you don't seem to lose any weight no matter how hard you try. However suddenly
you're over it and the weight comes off again.
I'm lucky because i have develped cast iron will power and self discipline and it is now a mind set.
Above all you have to be patient. Losing weight the correct way doesn't happen quick enough for most people. The buzz you get when someone compliments you on how you look is amazing. Also when i started my waist was 40". On saturday
i bought a pair of 34" waist jeans. This has really given me a buzz.
Hope my dietry life story helps and i wish you good luck
Muso_Girl
Member
Wow Dave! This is all amazing stuff! The fitfans programme sounds like a really great thing. What a shame that they had to stop it. Brilliant that you had a fantastic kick start like that.
It really sounds like you have changed your attitude to food, this is encouraging! I got into terrible habits over the years and mainly blamed it on my unsociable working hours and not always being at home to cook. I basically ended up living off packaged sandwiches and pub meals/takeaways. That or late night binges of rubbish because I hadn't eaten all day and was starving by the time I got home at 10pm or later.
I know that I am also an emotional eater which is why I am keen to start CBT. I want to learn other ways of dealing with stress and other emotional factors so that I don't use food as a coping mechanism.
I am amazed at your commitment to fitness and how well you have done with that. I have to say that I have an anazing friend who is encouraging me to go jogging with him. For someone who has a very sedentary job (I'm a musician, sat down all day or in the car) and puts off exercise, this was hard for me! I did much better than I thought I would but it's tough, especially at this time of year. Having someone take me out jogging is good though, no excuses!! People keep telling me how quickly your cardio fitness improves. One friend told me that she went from nothing to running a half marathon in 6 months!!! I'm not sure I want to do that but to be able to do our 30 min session without walking at all would be fab!!
Lastly, I did my undergrad at Hull Uni! I am not from Hull but have a close association and fondness for the city and I now teach violin at the university and play for Sinfonia UK which is based in Hull too! So we have a kind of link there! It's amazing how much the city has changed in the past 14 years! (Ok now I feel old!)
Thank you for your reply and great advice and congratulations on your weight loss and your commitment to it!
It really sounds like you have changed your attitude to food, this is encouraging! I got into terrible habits over the years and mainly blamed it on my unsociable working hours and not always being at home to cook. I basically ended up living off packaged sandwiches and pub meals/takeaways. That or late night binges of rubbish because I hadn't eaten all day and was starving by the time I got home at 10pm or later.
I know that I am also an emotional eater which is why I am keen to start CBT. I want to learn other ways of dealing with stress and other emotional factors so that I don't use food as a coping mechanism.
I am amazed at your commitment to fitness and how well you have done with that. I have to say that I have an anazing friend who is encouraging me to go jogging with him. For someone who has a very sedentary job (I'm a musician, sat down all day or in the car) and puts off exercise, this was hard for me! I did much better than I thought I would but it's tough, especially at this time of year. Having someone take me out jogging is good though, no excuses!! People keep telling me how quickly your cardio fitness improves. One friend told me that she went from nothing to running a half marathon in 6 months!!! I'm not sure I want to do that but to be able to do our 30 min session without walking at all would be fab!!
Lastly, I did my undergrad at Hull Uni! I am not from Hull but have a close association and fondness for the city and I now teach violin at the university and play for Sinfonia UK which is based in Hull too! So we have a kind of link there! It's amazing how much the city has changed in the past 14 years! (Ok now I feel old!)
Thank you for your reply and great advice and congratulations on your weight loss and your commitment to it!
Dave W
Member
Because fitfans did so well in Hull it was rolled out in alot of other towns and cities. While fitfans was aimed at men they also had a course for women called "Your Shape" which ran the same way for 12 weeks with the talk followed by an
exercise session. I think the ladies exercises were more aerobic / yoga based.
a town near you might still be running these courses. its worth doing a search on the internet. The great thing is its completely free of charge.
You mentioned being an emotional eater to relieve stress. I used to drink to relieve stress. I now find going for a brisk walk / jog relieves stress just as much. The 10000 steps routine with a pedometer is a great motivation to get walking.
10000 steps is the final target. it could take a couple of months to reach. A sedentary person does approx 3000/4000 steps on average. In the first week set yourself a target of 5000 steps a day. 5000 steps a days will burn approx 200 calories.
It takes 20 minutes non stop on a rowing machine to burn 200 calories. then gradually build it up week by week.
finally i'm glad you have an association with my fair city. Wait till the City of Culture in 2017. They making plans for it already and it's going to be amazing.
exercise session. I think the ladies exercises were more aerobic / yoga based.
a town near you might still be running these courses. its worth doing a search on the internet. The great thing is its completely free of charge.
You mentioned being an emotional eater to relieve stress. I used to drink to relieve stress. I now find going for a brisk walk / jog relieves stress just as much. The 10000 steps routine with a pedometer is a great motivation to get walking.
10000 steps is the final target. it could take a couple of months to reach. A sedentary person does approx 3000/4000 steps on average. In the first week set yourself a target of 5000 steps a day. 5000 steps a days will burn approx 200 calories.
It takes 20 minutes non stop on a rowing machine to burn 200 calories. then gradually build it up week by week.
finally i'm glad you have an association with my fair city. Wait till the City of Culture in 2017. They making plans for it already and it's going to be amazing.
Dave W
Member
Hi Lynn
I have but with hindsight the best thing I did was get help and advice early on. Be it a forum like this. Weight watchers, Slimming World or in my case through Fitfans. to know your not on your own is a great help.
To learn what foods are good or bad, When and how much to eat. The amount of sugars and fat they contain and the impact increasing exercise can make. All these where major factors for me
The other thing is being patient and to realise its a long haul. To stop gaining weight in the first couple of weeks is a real positive. Then when you gradually start losing weight you feel like you've really achieved something.
When someone compliments you on how you look its great. you get a buzz and a bit of a feel good factor and a bit less self conscious. Next your belt size drops a notch and you think "This is working" and the momentum starts to build.
The main thing is to stick with it.
I have but with hindsight the best thing I did was get help and advice early on. Be it a forum like this. Weight watchers, Slimming World or in my case through Fitfans. to know your not on your own is a great help.
To learn what foods are good or bad, When and how much to eat. The amount of sugars and fat they contain and the impact increasing exercise can make. All these where major factors for me
The other thing is being patient and to realise its a long haul. To stop gaining weight in the first couple of weeks is a real positive. Then when you gradually start losing weight you feel like you've really achieved something.
When someone compliments you on how you look its great. you get a buzz and a bit of a feel good factor and a bit less self conscious. Next your belt size drops a notch and you think "This is working" and the momentum starts to build.
The main thing is to stick with it.
deflating
Full Member
Hi Dave,
Just want to thank you for a great post. I now weigh exactly what you did when you first started, - the last 15 kilo only having piled on in the past 2 years, which I blame on stress.
I'm adamant to get back into shape and healthy weight before the end of 2015. Your post is exactly what i was looking for, as I need to up my exercise and down my food habit and I'm sure I'll acheive my weight loss.
Just want to thank you for a great post. I now weigh exactly what you did when you first started, - the last 15 kilo only having piled on in the past 2 years, which I blame on stress.
I'm adamant to get back into shape and healthy weight before the end of 2015. Your post is exactly what i was looking for, as I need to up my exercise and down my food habit and I'm sure I'll acheive my weight loss.
