So Near Yet So Far....

Hello my friends

A few of you have been asking why I have been so quiet? Well....I have been waiting to break the 200kg barrier before I posted again and I thought it would happen quite soon after my last post but alas, 2 weeks later I am only down to 201kg, only a loss of .5kg! VERY disappointing!

Why is this not WORKING!!!

Mmmm....complacency, the enemy of the dieter, reared it's ugly head. It's ALL MY FAULT!

Here are a few hard, yet helpful, words from my accountability partner Celeste, to illustrate the point...

"You are losing weight too slowly! Pottie will be horrified. You know the answers. You are eating incorrectly.

You must make use of the tool while it is assisting you. You are not hungry right? There is a huge difference between mind hunger and real hunger. You are mind hungry.

You have to make a concerted effort to only eat what you are allowed and as little as possible. You won’t die of hunger- cause there is enough to burn.

You have to teach your body all over again what is healthy and what not. Make a rule that you will only cheat once a week- this means that perhaps on a Sunday- you can eat what you want to, but every other day of the week- you need to only eat what you must.

I know Judy’s rules are maybe a little strict so here’s what you do:

• No carbohydrates- no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes at all- I MEAN IT
• Only meat where there is no visible fat ( before it gets cooked- don’t even think of only cutting it off afterwards- the temptation is too big!)
• Eat your meat first , then veg ( the veg need to be steamed. Put some grated cheese over it- just a sprinkling with some spice- believe me- it’s not too bad) No spinach with feta, not cauliflower in white sauce.
• Veg you can eat a lot from- carrots, beetroot, spinach
• Avoid fruit juice at all costs- too much sugar.
• No Alcohol- yeah I know- have a glass ( only one) on your cheat day.
• Meat first, then veg.
• Chew everything carefully. Consider what it tastes like. Can you discern the different flavours in your food? What is that spice?
• Put your knife and fork down between mouth fulls.
• Don’t eat while you are doing something else- working, reading,watching television. Concentrate-. You are eating a lot less now- so it has to be top notch. Don’t eat just because it’s there.
• Are you hungry? Is it half an hour after you have eaten? Do you really want / need it? If not- walk away – go do something else.
• Start exercising- no man- not join a gym or aerobics. Park your car further away from the door at work- take the stairs ( huffing and puffing in the beginning). Get up to talk to someone in a different dept or floor instead of phoning or e-mailing.
• Stop thinking of yourself as the FAT guy. Look at the thin people in your office. ( without them notifing- no sexual harassment please). Notice what they do, start emulating this. You will quickly see what you are doing wrong.
• Don’t ever eat when you are alone! This is perhaps my biggest sin- I used to think that if I eat something and no-one sees, then it doesn’t count. You are no longer responsible to others for your weight- if you cheat- you are only cheating yourself out of one amazing opportunity. You are going to be thin.
• Stop mourning- yes you are mourning- you think that it can continue as before. It can’t anymore, you have to change and think like a thin person. It is time to say good bye to the FAT guy.
• When people as you if you have lost weight, smile and say – why yes- 30kg today. How’s it going- absolutely fantastic- I no longer require my Blood pressure pills- this is amazing! OWN IT.
• If someone says- you look good- OWN it. Say thank you very much, it is nothing to how I feel on the inside.
• Most important of these rules. Dish up for yourself. Only take enough to fill half a cup. Eat this. Excuse yourself from the table. If you are hungry later, you can repeat this, but I promise you –you won’t be. This is the best thing I have done for myself. Sure it’s anti social, but until you can trust yourself to not pick and eat the rest of the stuff on the table- remember- we are food addicts. And we are going cold turkey!

My friend- it is not easy. You need to pray and believe that God will help you. You will lose weight, but you are going to have to put some effort into it."

Thanks Celeste, bless you for this advice.....

So near yet so far will change.....back on the straight and narrow for me.

God Bless
Slowly "Shrinking" D