"Slimming Focus Month" Idea.

BrightonMark

Trying... Really Trying.
Hi,

Potentially drastic idea I know but.

I'm a usual office worker, I commute an hour each way, meaning I leave the house at 7, get in at 7. Once I have done the housework, done some washing, cooked a rushed dinner etc then its pretty much time for bed already.

Me and some chums were chatting the other day about how celebrities are chubby one month in the paper and then the next month there are fantastic beach body pics etc. We were all saying "If I didnt nothing all day like the celebs but watch my weight and work out then it would be easy.." Because although I enjoy my diet I find its very hard to be strict at work, and that I have trouble planning my weeks in advance etc, and also that although I love my exercise bike, I dont really have the energy after a day sat at my desk.

Its got me thinking.

I am lucky enough to have a pretty generous holiday allowance at work and think I could easily get together a month of time off at once.

What do you guys think about the idea of taking a month of the celebrity style slimming? it would allow me to make my diet my main concern, I could go on the bike daily for extended interval training, I would have the time to go shopping properly and get my head into the right place, (I'm also learning the guitar and finding fitting that in a struggle).

Does it sound too drastic and do you think I would regret not spreading my Holiday around the year as usual?

Sorry for the waffle, this is a from my brain to the page style post... Thoughts?
 
i think its a fab idea, however i would be just so unhappy if i couldnt have my weekends away or week off to recharge my batteries. its what works for you though isnt it?

i think a month of getting up each morning, going for a run, swim and bikeride then having lunch then a facial and massage EVERY day would sound like my kind of life that was if i could run and bikeride :)

go for it if you can, or alternatively give the housework a miss - get a cleaner/houseperson and have them cook your dinners and clean while you're out on a bikeride having facial etc.

have fun whatever you choose

Cathie
 
I think you might do really well during that month but the minute you went back to work you would put it all back on again, and probably more.

SW is about learning a healthy way of living, it's meant for the long term - for the rest of your life. If it's not working for you right now you need to look at why that is the case and what you can do about it.

You obviously find it difficult right now for one reason or another and taking a month out to *also* not follow the plan (ie learn a healthy living plan for life) isn't going to fix that problem. You admit it's 'a drastic idea' - it's not going to solve the problem you're facing.

Write down what you're finding difficult about the plan, where you're slipping up and post it on here, then we can look at what you could do about it without resorting to 'drastic' short-term fixes.
 
I guess my main issues are:

Time - Finding I am rushed to make lunch for the next day which leads me to wander into sainsubury's or go out with the lads for a beer and burger.

Energy Levels - After a 12 hour day I dont feel I want to work out, and I am finding that my main weight loss catalyst at the moment.

Chores/other interests - I'm learning guitar and meant to be doing 30 mins a day plus as I have a place of my own I have the associated washing, cleaning, DIY etc to be doing.

And all this leads to stress, and although I know its the case, I still go to food when I am stressed, I dont really drink, I dont smoke, I dont do drugs etc, I eat cookies... lol.
 
Work out half an hour before your 12 hour day then. If you get up half an hour earlier and get your exercise in then, you'll feel better in yourself for most of the day, and will sleep better at night. Sit on the exercise bike with the guitar and play. Two birds, one stone.

Bulk cook on a Sunday. Make 2 or 3 meals which can be frozen in portions and taken out one at a time to take to work and chuck in the microwave. Do the same for your dinners, if you like, make a big SW lasagne, freeze into portions, buy a bag of salad on your way home, throw on plate, reheat lasagne, relatively no effort coz the hard works already done. That gives you much more time in your evenings too.

As for the "holiday" - make it two weeks, and use the time to stock your freezer, take care of yourself, exercise, and make your life as simple as possible. Dont forget to relax!
 
I can't remember where I heard or read it, but the phrase was

"You are not physically tired after a day in the office, you are mentally tired. Therefore you will have the energy to exercise"

It is very true - I come home from the office/commute shattered but, once I get my running gear on and I've taken a few steps, I'm okay. I feel much more awake when I get back too.

Minx is quite right about the bulk cooking/freezing idea too. Works for me.

Onto the original question - I think it's a super idea, but I wouldn't want to use my year's leave for it.
 
one of the easiest ways for me to fit in my trainnig is to do some of it in my lunch hour! You could try this?
I can fit in 5k run, a mile swim or a 10 mile bike ride in my break, and on the daysi do this, i have loads more energy once i get home too!
 
I get up earlier 3 times a week and go for a 30 min run. am going to increase time and try to aim for 5 times a week by the end of August.
Never feel like going but once i have my Asics on my feet i am raring to go.
 
The idea that you would be willing to use a months annual leave to commit to slimming & exercise shows your dedication & you definitely should be commended for considering it. My main worry is that overfocussing on diet & exercise could be detrimental in the long term when you go back to work & back into your old routine & things start to slip a bit when you cant give your diet 100%. In saying that I would take a week, maybe 2 if you felt you needed a bit longer to get your head in the right place which is soo important when youre trying to lose weight. During that time you could plan a couple of weekly menu plans that you could work with when back at work by batch cooking & freezing. Have a look at your day & see when the best time would be for you to fit in a bit of exercise, even a little to start as you can always add to that.

From my own experience of trying to fit exercise into my life it was getting from the stage of something I had to do to becoming something I wanted to do that was the biggest challenge. Rather than being overambitious in the beginning I opted for 30 minutes 3 times a week to start as I felt I could fit that in without it becoming too much of a chore. I knew that if it became a chore to me it would be too easy to find an excuse & then it wouldnt be long before I gave up altogether.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)
 
Rather than doing it all in one chunk, why don't you take a similar idea but spread it out a bit? Maybe take a couple of days off a month and dedicate them to the things you want to do? So you could timetable it to do an hour of guitar, bulk cook enough slimming world dishes so that during the week you just take them out the freezer, do some intensive exercise etc. That way you're still doing your plan but you're making it more long term and sustainable.
 
I agree with what some others have said that once your exercising you have more energy to exercise. If I'm on a double shift I work 12/13 hours over 16 hours with a 3/4 hour break after about 8 hours and I can do this for days in a row. Yet I will try and make sure that at least every other day I'm out in my break doing exercise. If I don't I become like death and have no energy at all.

As for food why not take things like a jacket potato and beans to work. If you get the microwave beans then takes 5 mins to cook lunch and its syn free on a green/ee day. That's what I used to do when I had access to a microwave. Or take mug shots and some fruit, again syn free and quite filling.
 
You say you commute - can you not get off a stop or two early and walk the rest, thus getting some exercise and fresh air every day?

Would be a good idea but I work in croydon, the stop before hand is Gatwick Airport, which is 15.4 miles away according to google maps. =(

I already walk alot as I dont drive, and alot of people have suggested working out in the lunchtime though I cant really afford to join a Gym (hence bike at home) and there arent showers in the office and I dont want to be "That sweat patch BO guy" at my desk lol!

I am working on getting up earlier to do my bike leaving my evenings free to do the rest of my chores etc, One suggestion of playing the guitar on the bike has actually been tried but failed miserably!

Thanks for your options, I guess it was just a sounding board for my month off. Maybe I was just trying to rationalize taking a month off lol. I think the last time I didnt have work for more than a week is a row was Uni lol!
 
Do you live on your own or have kids etc?....just thinking if it was just you and your working 12 hour days....they house cant get that messy :) Leave the cleaning up untill the weekend, then dedicate a cuople of hours to it (cleaning also burns calories) then during the week, while you have prepared dinner and are waiting for it to cook, get yourself on the bike for 30/40 mins. then you have the rest of the night to relax/ play guitar etc :) also while your doing yur dinner, put a little extra in so you have leftover to take to wrk for lunch the next day :)

If you do a couple of hours cleaning at the weekend, you then stil have a full day to waste away as you please....good luck with it
 
Ok originally posted question; yes it would be amazing to have 1 month off like the celebs & work out, thus getting the body you want. But in reality if you do that you would, like the celebs, be back to how you were in no time at all.

Where were you thinking of going for this month long exercise, healthy holiday?

I took 3 weeks off work in March & I'm not off now until 30th November:eek: Oh my such a good idea at the time, but now I'm struggling to think it's going to be full-time work until then with only bank holidays, but I do have the memories & photos..........................

Have you thought of either getting up early & doing say 1/2 per morning of housework, or getting a cleaner. I always do housework in the morning & don't do any at weekend.

How about having mugshots, for lunch & adding veggies/meat to them to make a full satisfying meal.

I like the idea of preparing meals at the weekend for the week ahead. Or you could make lasagne for tea on Monday & take leftovers for work on a Tuesday:D
 
When I have long days at work I use the slow cooker to make a casserole. Bung in a load of frozen veg and chicken, tinned tomatoes and some seasoning as Im going out the door and bingo a lovely cooked meal for 2 nights whenI get home.
 
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