Sparkling insight

One of the comments on a post a few days ago, generously contributed by Sparkler, demonstrated incredible insight into some aspects of my predicament. I'm going to address them one by one and see where it takes me:

This is a really tough time in the journey...all the newness has worn off, you're nearly there so you're probably pretty comfortable with your weight right now, so the urgency has dropped.

That is SOoooo right. Truth is, if I didn't lose another pound - I'd be a little disappointed but I wouldn't be devastated, because the worst of the weight has gone. I started at 20 stone, I now weigh about 12 and a half. I'd like to be ten and a half - but I'm thin enough that I can walk, jog, swim - and all with relative comfort. I can buy 'normal' clothes in 'normal' shops for the first time in my adult life and so the urgency has gone. Spot on Sparkler. But when I sit down and really think about it - I don't want to settle for this - it is less than I wanted when I started out and I want better. I am not looking for perfection but I do want to be in control of my eating and my weight. No, I wouldn't be devastated if I didn't lose another pound, but I don't think I would look upon my band experience as a complete success either.

Everything about the band is so familiar which means it doesn't take much thinking about.

Yes, you're right again. But this is the problem. I often THINK it doesn't need thinking about because it's so familiar - but actually it does. For example, I thought I'd 'cracked' the think about not drinking after eating - I thought it had become second nature. But in the last few months I have got back into bad habits again. Also, I have had more slime and regurgitation events in the last few months than I've ever had. This is not because my band is too tight - it's because sometimes I just forget it is there and get back to old eating habits (eating too much, too quick, the wrong type of food, eating while distracted etc). I probably need to get out my old 'band manual' and re-read it again from start to finish and keep on reminding myself that I have a little friend inside me - and it's going to be there for life....

I'd be interested to hear what your restriction is like now on an average day. Do you still eat the same small portion sizes or are you able to eat more at a sitting? Do you still have certain foods that are a no-go area? What's it like once it all becomes routine, mundane and everyday?

When I make good food choices I have excellent 'sweet spot' restriction. My meals are small and they fill me up. I can't guzzle a drink down fast like I used to but have to take it in smaller mouthfuls and slowly. I'm much more restricted in the morning and can't really eat much till mid-morning. IF (and it's a big IF) I don't eat chocolate and other 'bad' foods, I exist very happily on about 1200 calories a day and don't feel physically hungry at all. There's no sign of my band getting looser. There are very fews that are a no-go area - mainly chips (French fries), very fatty foods like battered fish (chip-shop style), and the skins of cherry tomatoes and grapes! I avoid white bread but can easily eat whoolemeal bread (though not in large quantity). Many of the things that I used to perceive as big problems or difficulties - just aren't! I can eat out but do so very cautiously. So far I have avoided having any embarrassing incidents while eating out and would like it to remain that way!

Good luck with getting that focus back to fight off that last stubborn stone and a half. Actually having a break from the strict regime probably won't do you any harm as once you get back to your walking and cut out the lovely but lethal chocolate you'll be like a new dieter who has a really rewarding first three weeks or so. A post-Easter resolution perhaps?

You may be right about having a break from the strict regime but I think I need to get back to it soon. Now that work has eased off I am finding time to get back to some exercise - walking, stepping and swimming mainly. I think you are right - I will wait until I am firmly back in the UK after my trip and then set a date to kick-start my band-life.

Many thanks for your insight and encouragement!

The 214 Challenge for 2010!!

As I hinted at yesterday, I have been thinking for a while that I'd like to take up a serious physical challenge in 2010. As well as helping with my physical fitness it might also contribute to my ongoing weight loss and give me a sense of real achievement. Just as climbers of Everest respond when asked why they do it - "because it's there", I suppose I want to do something - "because I can". Now. Before, I couldn't. Now I can - so I'm going to!!

I have always wanted to do something really serious like climb Kilimanjaro. I'm further convinced of this by the November efforts of the UK Children in Need celebrities who did it for charity. However, I don't think I would be fit enough in time so that will have to wait for 2011! So, by way of preparation for perhaps an even bigger challenge next year, I have given a great deal of thought over the past few weeks, to what challenge I might take on in 2010. There were two general activities in the running - walking (hiking) or swimming. After being inspired by Robson Green's recent exploits on ITV, I thought about going for some 'wild' swimming adventure. I've done some outdoor swimming in the past when I entered a triathlon in my early twenties. However, that kind of thing would take some very serious training - and time - which I don't have in abundance. So I decided to focus my thinking efforts more on hiking.

In the UK there are a number of long distance footpaths. Many years ago I made serious plans to do the Pennine Way. This is about 320 miles and takes about 19-20 days following the spine of hills and low mountains that passes from the Peak District National Park in the south (central England) to the edge of the Scottish border in the north. However, I gave up on this at the time because I simply cannot take three weeks off work! But in my searching, I came across the 214 Lakeland Challenge - and this is more exciting.

The 214 Lakeland Challenge (also referred to as the Wainwright Challange) involves climbing to the peak of the 214 summits in the English Lake District described by Alfred Wainwright (pictured) in his famous seven volume pictorial guides. The summits vary from about 500 to 1000m and traverse all regions of the Lake District. The challenge is to complete all of these climbs - in one year. Well, since I love the Lake District, it's within a couple of hours drive from here, and the challenge can be completed over a period of time not requiring a huge amount of time off work, this is what I've decided to do! Think of all the steps and burned calories!!!

I've already bought the seven-volume Wainwright guides together with another guide that groups the walks into sensible units that can be completed over 36 separate trips. We already have the 1:25,000 OS Explorer maps that I will need. All I need now, are a couple of fleece jumpers because I no longer own any that fit! Oh, and the courage to actually begin! I think that I will 'officially' begin tomorrow - January 1st and my aim will be to complete by December 31st 2010. Who knows - I may even time my final ascent for December 31st and have a mountain celebration of New Year's Eve!

Wish me luck - I may need it!

Seasons greetings

Hello again! Happy Christmas! We've just returned from a Christmas week spent on holiday in Tenerife. We booked it all at the last minute and were lucky to get anything. But in the event, we had a fantastic time. We only just managed to get out of Manchester airport a week ago because it was snowing heavily at the time. The day before there had been awful delays because of the weather, but we were very lucky and only had an hours delay. Arriving in Tenerife we were faced with 20-25 degrees C most of the time. The last couple of days have been even hotter. We stayed in a lovely apartment at Puerta de la Cruz on the north coast. Although we had full self catering facilities we ate out every evening.

Probably the fact that we only found (or even looked for!) the beach on the last morning says something about the kind of people we are! However, we hired a car for the week and got around and saw lots of the island. Every day we went for a decent walk - I clocked up at least 15,000 steps per day and 25,000 on one day. I'm defintely feeling fitter already. The island is dominated by the volcano, Mount Teide, which stands at an incredible 3717m. We didn't get up to the top (you can get from 2200 to near the top by cable car) because high winds prevented the cable car from running. However, we did lots of high level walks with absolutely stunning views of modern and ancient lava flows, volcanic cones and deep chasms.

Needless to say, I did not count my calories while on holiday, but did my best to keep my appetite under control. I ate relatively small amounts for breakfast and lunch but tended to eat more in the afternoon and evening. Every afternoon, for instance, we bought an ice cream as 'reward' for walking in the heat. Eating out every evening, I tried to choose small meals. I always chose two courses (usually a starter and main course). However, a couple of times I ate so little of my main course I asked for a 'doggy bag' to take the rest away with me. By the end of the week I had switched to two starters. However, on the last evening my first starter was so big (a tuna and bean salad) that I took that away in a doggy bag and ate it for lunch on the way home yesterday!!

So all in all, a really fabulous Christmas. I'm not sure I want to do this every year because it's nice to spend time with family and enjoy the traditional atmosphere, sights and sounds of Christmas. But it was nice to do do something different, restful and get back to exercising! I'm now thinking about truly getting back to some proper, regular exercise. I also have it in mind that I'm going to take on a major physical challenge in 2010 - but more of that tomorrow....

Burning calories

We went for a lovely walk on the western edge of the Pennines today - to a place called Winter Hill. It's basically where there is a telecommunications mast (about 200m high) on top of a hill. The mast provides all the digital network for this part of the north-west. Not so far away is Rivington Pike - part of the Victorian terraced gardens complex of Rivington House. We also walked over to 'The Tower' on top of Rivington Pike - pictured.

My other half and I went with my sister-in-law who is up from the south and staying for a few days. It's been a really lovely day, cool but bright and sunny, and we had lovely views across towards Bolton (including the Reebok stadium) and Wigan. I particularly enjoyed the walk because it is the first time I have got out and had a 'proper' walk for at least three weeks - which is about as long as I have gone since the early days of my band journey. We walked about 12,000 steps which will have burned upwards of 600 calories. So for the first time in a while, I am feeling quite saintly!!

As I suggested yesterday, I am really beginning to believe that I have turned a corner and starting to put the bad days behind me and re-focus on the prize. If I get back into my good habits there is a real chance I could be 'normal' by Christmas (BMI-wise) - now that is a very powerful incentive!!

SO much to remember!

I used to think banding was simple - it restricts your stomach, you can't eat as much, you feel full sooner and for longer. Oh if only it were that straight forward! Here are a few of the 'rules' I have to remind myself of daily:

1. Eat three small meals per day
2. Chew everything to death and eat small pieces
3. Don't drink after eating
4. Use small utensils and a side plate for meals
5. Practice environmental control
6. Keep reminding your husband to hide the baguette and biscuits
7. Take a bagful of food with you to work every day (breakfast cereal, milk, orange juice, Actimel, lunch, healthy snacks)
8. Write everything down - food, calories, drinks, exercise, steps.....
9. Make sure plenty of your meal is made up of protein to keep you feeling full for longer (it takes away the hunger)
10. Don't overcook the vegetables - the crunchier the better
11. Beware when eating fruit with skins or peels - eat extra slowly and not in front of everyone (hiccups can be violent)
12. Take healthy snacks to work - better than eating chocolate
13. Keep reminding your husband to add healthy things to the shopping list (fruit, yoghurt, cottage cheese) - and to remove things that are too tempting (biscuits and baguettes)
14. Drink, drink, and drink some more
15. If you think you're hungry, have a drink first - then eat if you still feel hungry after half an hour
16. Is it real hunger or just head hunger?
17. If you start thinking about chocolate, do something to distract yourself.... (MUCH easier said than done)
18. Keep reminding your husband not to bring you a cup of tea immediately after you've eaten
19. Worry about whether you've got the right level of restriction at least every five minutes......
20. Remember to cook a double portion of dinner so you can take half of it to work for lunch the next day
21. Cook meals that are nutritionally balanced
22. Take your daily multivitamin, and calcium tablets, oh, and lactulose occasionally......
23. Stop buying huge amounts of fod on the weekly shop - it will end up going mouldy
24. Get excited about strong restriction in the morning - and then get disapointed when it wears off in the aftrnoon
25. Find time to walk
26. Find time to go to the gym
27. ...or do anything else physical
28. Keep reminding your husband to put most of the bread in the freezer - I can't eat so much these days so it will go off if left in the bread bin
29. Refrain from getting annoyed when every other person you see asks you, in a loud voice, how much you weigh....

Oh I could go on! There are so many lessons to learn in living with the band but it's just impossible to keep them all in your head at the same time. So as fast as I remember one lesson, I forget the rest. Today, I went to work with what I thought was a lovely lunch (leftovers from last night - but nice, nonetheless). However, whereas last night I put quite a lot of low fat melted cheese on it - today I didn't. The result was a very bland meal with absolutely no fat in it, unappetising and completely lacking in protein. End result? One hungry lady mid-afternoon - looking for snacks and 'nice' things to eat.....

When will I ever learn?!!

Thoughts on exercise

Went to the Healthier Weight support group meeting in Manchester today. The presentation was about the importance of exercise in the body energy balance. In essence, whether or not we lose weight is a function of total calories (energy) in minus total calories out. Since calories out is largely related to activity levels, the more exercise we do, the more likely it is that we will lose weight. Of course it is not so simple as that - it takes quite a lot of commitment, motivation and organisation on our part to make that exercise actually happen.

Personally, I have got into quite good habits when it comes to fitting little bits of walking into my daily routine. However, it's harder to find the time and energy to fit in 'bigger' bits of exercise like long hikes, going to the gym, swimming etc. One of the things that was clear from today's talk was that this kind of activity tends only to happen if it has a very regular place in our daily and weekly routine. This us where I struggle at the moment because my job us quite variable on a day to day basis. That means I start and finish work at different times so find it difficult to fit in visits to the gym etc on a regular basis.

This is where I find having daily and weekly targets on my pedometer helps. My daily target is 7000 steps and my weekly average target is 8,000 steps. I find it quite helpful to look at it during the day - if it says 5790, for instance, then I know I only gave to fit in an extra 1210 before bedtime! This evening I went for a walk-jog for 40 minutes or so - I quite enjoyed it but am tired now. Signing off to go to bed.

Take away

Got home from the conference in Durham this evening. Too tired to bother cooking, so we ordered a Chinese takeaway. I got a Singapore vegetable chow mein - this is a spicy noodle dish. I tried to be good and put half on a plate, putting the other half away to eat tomorrow. However, about twenty minutes after I'd finished I relented and ate the rest!! Oh well. I've eaten all sorts over the last few days so tomorrow it's back to my healthy eating plan. Not that I haven't got loads of exercise over the last few days - I've done 12,000 to 15,000 steps each day. The problem is, I've eaten way more than usual. So as I say, back to my plan from tomorrow.

Routine - boring but good!

I remember when I was at school our teacher got us to complete this really long and complex questionnaire designed to figure out what career would best suit us. I already had an idea (and that's putting it mildly) of what I wanted to do and so it was quite difficult to answer the questions completely honestly, and not make the answers biased towards the career I thought suited me. At the time, believe it or not, I wanted to join the Police Force. I have since realised the error of my ways (!) - but that was what I was absolutely set on at the time. I also remember saying in this questionnaire that I hated routine and loved the unpredictable. I think, in my mind, I saw police work as anything but routine, so sort of figured that I, therefore, obviously did not like routine! Daft logic I know, but I was only a kid.

I have carried this notion with me for much of my life - that 'routine' somehow equates with all things boring and mundane. However, in recent months I have given some thought to the lack of self discipline in certain areas of my life and wondered whether it is associated with a lack of routine in any way. My job, for example, is not at all routine. I do different things almost every day and even though I try to plan ahead, I often find that at the end of the day I have hardly done a single thing I set out to. It occurs to me that when my daily life IS very routine, I find it much easier to stick to good, healthy eating habits and getting regular exercise. When things are out of routine, it all 'goes to pot', as they say.

I'm currently at a conference in Durham. Although it is a very structured event, with seemingly every minute of the day accounted for, it's not part of my normal routine. I'm away from home, I cannot do any of my normal exercise activities (I can walk but I can't go to the gym or use my stepper etc), I am at the mercy of other people when it comes to what I will eat (and when) - and it all feels a little frightening as far as my new band life is concerned (or maybe I'm just a control freak!). I think that, in a way, one has to be something of a control freak to work successfully with the band: You have to be able to plan ahead - what you will eat, what you will drink, when you will eat and drink, how and when you will exercise and so on. These things can only be planned properly if you have a good amount of control over what the day will bring.

So, I think that contrary to my child-like instincts, I'm going to have to get to associate routine with all things good. I'm going to have to get to like routine and see it as a major contributor to my band success in the future.

Gym update

I reported last week that I had joined my local gym. I've been back twice so far and have really enjoyed it! I went this morning before work which really is a first for me. I must admit I never saw myself as a gym-aholic but I can see how it just kinda 'gets to you'. I'm still getting the hang of all the equipment - not so much how to use it - but what kind of exercise it gives you and what muscle groups it builds. My routine, if you can call it that after just three visits (!), goes something like this:

• Ten minutes walking flat on the treadmill and gradually building up the speed to 6.2kph - just as a warm-up really.


• Twenty minutes doing the 'hills' programme at level 20 (the highest) on the treadmill. Attempting to do this at the same walking speed as the first activity is really hard and gets the hamstrings working. I can just about keep up 6kph for the first 10-12 minutes but then have to slow it a little to about 5.7kph. This one really gets the sweat pouring!


• Then I either work on my upper body strength and tummy muscles, or my upper body strength and leg muscles. You'll have gathered from this that my upper body needs the most work! I'm particularly focussing on my triceps (the ones at the back of your arms) in the vain hope that this might reduce (or at least, firm up) my bingo wings. I'm working on my tummy muscles for a similar reason!

This all takes about an hour. If I have more time to spare I spend more time on aerobic activity and use the cross trainer or cycle. I haven't really had a proper go with the rowing machines yet but give it time and I'm sure I will. I also experiment with a wider range of the leg-strengthening kit that I haven't used yet.

Once I'm done I spend a few minutes on one of the mats just stretching - especially my leg muscles. I've always found that if I don't stretch after exercise they just tend to cease up later in the day. As always, I'm keeping a careful check on calories burned and this morning, I reckon I burned about 500 calories. That's roughly equivalent to walking about 8,000 steps - so that's one walk I won't have to do this evening!

Something else I've been doing is using some small free weights at home. They're like a small, metal dumbell with a 1kg weight on each end. I've had them for many years but they've spent most of that time gathering dust. Well not anymore. They now take pride of place in front of the TV in our living room! That's so I don't forget - whenever I sit down to watch TV I'm now reminded to do some light weight-lifting! I have established a routine of doing six exercises - all focussing on my upper body strength, and especially my triceps, and I've been doing them daily. It's been less than a week so far so I can't see any difference - but I have noticed some of the exercises are starting to get just a little easier!

I did it!!

A short while ago I posted about my desire to run again - and today I did it! Back from our energetic holiday - walking in Chamonix, I was today, feeling full of energy. I didn't think much about it, I just found myself getting into my jogging bottoms and doing a bit of contortionism to get into my new sports bra! I checked that my nearly 20 year old running shoes still fit (honestly!) and sneaked out if the front door. I didn't want my husband to see or guess what I was going to do because I didn't want to face the embarrassment if it all went pear-shaped!

I walked for the first ten minutes to get warmed up, and also this had the advantage of taking me to a secluded path in the wooded edge of the local sports field. I tentatively began to jog along and the first thing I noticed was how much my bum was jiggling up and down!!! I trotted slowly along the path and then ventured out onto open ground and went round the edge of the sport sfield. I was lucky that rain had threatened a few minutes before so there was no-one about!

I ran for a whopping 12 minutes (!) before resuming a walking pace for the return journey home. On my arrival home, with a red face covered in sweat, my other half asked if I'd been running - so much for keeping it a secret! Anyway, I seem to have survived. I felt a very slight niggle from my knees that probably reflects years of carrying the equivalent of several sacks of potatoes. Otherwise no problems. A couple of hours after returning I can feel a little tightness in my hamstrings. Given that I have just returned from a holiday where we walked a minimum of 20,000 steps a day, with no real leg muscle aching at all, this just goes to show how effective running is as a form of exercise.

My medium term aim is to be able to go for a three-mile run once or twice a week. That's a little way off yet, but I've begun the journey. Thank you to those people who encouraged me to do this. I can't honestly say I felt the exhilaration that I used to when running - I was too anxious about bring seen and injuring myself for that. But give it time and I just might re-live that experience again.

I'm in the Alps!

......Chamonix in the French Alps to be precise. We are here for a week on our second holiday of the year (yes I know, a bit greedy, but it's been a hard year). We're staying in a lovely apartment which we booked at the last minute and it has beautiful views of the glacier up valley. Our intention this week, is to relax and enjoy ourselves by getting out and about, seeing the sites and doing as much walking as possible! This place truly is a walkers paradise. There are cable cars and other lifts that get you up to the higher plateaux and ridges and you can walk from there. So, doing a long high level walk doesn't necessarily mean having to flog for miles up steep mountain slopes first.

We only arrived yesterday so just went for a gentle walk today - though having said that I've still managed to clock up about 19,000 steps on my pedometer! Although I am trying to be reasonably sensible about what, and how much I eat, I'm not going to be obsessive about it. We are mainly eating out in French restaurants and they are not known for being that vegetarian-friendly, so much of the time I will have to take pot luck! I don't think to need worry too much anyway about calorie intake because I'll be burning plenty of calories this week for sure.

I have a fairly reliable Internet connection so should be able to keep posting and keep you up to date. I hope to include a photo or two in the coming days.

Our foray up Beinn Ghobhlach

On Friday last week we climbed the local peak of Beinn Ghobhlach. At its highest point, standing at 635m (total ascent 780m), it is not the highest mountain in these parts, but it is one of the most spectacular. The walk began with a relatively flat section along a loch-side path. On reaching a stream gully, however, we then had to strike directly uphill for a cool 300m (ascent). This bit was hard work but I couldn't help feeling much of the time as though I were floating on air - I felt so, so, well, fit!

At the top of this first steep section we reached a beautiful viewpoint overlooking two mountain lakes - a great spot for a short break. Soon after we set off up the second steep hike up to the main col at about 600m. This was basically a hard flog, straight up a steep mountain slope. I managed it with relative ease and reached the col feeling elated. I knew that never, in the past twenty years, would I have been able to manage such a climb with such strength (or perhaps even at all). I knew that had I even attempted it in the past there would have been a great deal more pain, sweat and misery. I think I realised at the col, as we sat down to eat some lunch, that I truly have turned a corner. My body is not, and never will be again, as it once was - that is the old me - and never to be re-visited.

A short further climb of about 35m got us up to the summit of Beinn Ghobhlach. The views from the top were absolutely stunning and well worth the hard work. After savouring the view and taking loads of photographs, we set off around the circular lip of the cirque, reaching a further three mini-summits along the way.

The climb down was very steep most of the way and involved some tricky scrambling through deep heather and bracken with hidden sandstone boulders beneath. Again, I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that my 'old' body - especially my knees - would have found this extremely painful. I just know that I would have really suffered had I attempted this descent in any of the past few years. In practice, although I'd be lying to say I wasn't a little tired by the time we got back to the car, I was actually in really good state. I could definitely have managed another tough walk the next day (except for the fact that our holiday had come to an end).

So all in all, this walk was something of a pivotal moment for me, revealing, in a fairly decisive way, my new, massively increased levels of fitness. Even as I sit here writing this I feel full of beans (not literally!) - as though I want to jump out of my chair and go for a run!!! You just never know! Amazing - I am starting to love my band.

If you are interested in seeking out this highland gem any time, click on the link above - this will take you to the Walk Highlands web site with detailed descriptions of this, and many other fabulous walks.

Back down south....

Hello everyone, I'm back! Sorry again to have abandoned my posting for much of the last week but our remote corner of the north west highlands of Scotland didn't have any sort of mobile signal - and so no Internet access. Anyway, I'm back now and have lots to report.

We had a really lovely week-long holiday. It wouldn't have suited everybody - but suited us down to the ground. We stayed in a converted traditional croft cottage on the outskirts of a tiny hamlet in a remote corner alongside Little Loch Broom. The nearest town of any size was Ullapool, about 35 miles away, but our nearby hamlet had a small shop for essentials. We spent the week, with our two cats (!), resting, reading and walking.

The omens at the start of the week were not good. The weather forecast couldn't have been much worse - rain was forecast for every day of or holiday and from Tuesday onwwards there was supposed to be particularly heavy rain. But this is one occasion when we are immensely grateful that the meterological forecasters got it hopelesly wrong!! Apart from a couple of hours of light drizzle on Sunday afternoon, we had NO rain at all! Every day was bright and mostly sunny - the result was that we were able to go out walking every day. I did a quick calculation towards the end of the week and found that my average daily number of steps for the preceding 7 days was 17,000!!! (that's equal to at least 1000 burned calories each day). This perhaps explains why I was able to eat so much while on holiday without gaining any weight!!

Most days I cooked - so although I ate larger portions than usual (my excuse was that there weren't any side plates - yes I know - lame eh?) I still managed to eat quite healthy food. We ate out twice, once in Ullapool and once at a hotel. In Ullapool I couldn't resist a favourite starter of mine - Cullen skink! For those who may not have come across this Scottish traditional dish, it's basically a fish soup, made with smoked haddock - and it's luverly. I can't remember what I ate for main course but I do remember not being able to even consider getting a dessert! At the hotel meal, I chose scallops for starter and a goat's cheese salad for main. Although the portions were moderate, I calculated the calorie content afterwards and found it to be quite low..... which is probably why I felt compelled to opt for a dessert on this occasion.... Yes, it was a particularly naughty dessert (raspberries, strawberries, meringue and loads of cream) - but I did share it with my better half (and it was quite small!). Anyway, as I told him, at least it contained some fresh fruit!!

Back home now I feel as rested after a holiday as I have done in ages - I usually feel completely knackered and need a couple of days rest before going back to work! In the coming days I'll tell you about our forays into the Torridon mountains and our climb up Beinn Ghobleach. Oh, and on a completely different tack I'll also tell you about the Healthier Weight support group meeting I went to today. Signing off now till tomorrow....

North of the border

Sorry I've not posted for a few days, the cottage we are staying at in the north west highlands of Scotland is in the middle of nowhere and has no mobile signal at all! I am posting this on my iPhone from a tea shop in Ullapool. Things are going well so far, even the weather has been better than expected. We have cooked for ourselves up till now but are eating out tonight and tomorrow. We have been walking every day and yesterday, on a beautiful walk in the Torridon area I clocked up 25,000 steps on my pedometer! Sorry this is a short one- I hope to be back in posting form in a few days. All the best, Theresa x

Ten things about weight loss: Part 9

This is the final part of my report on the TV programme Ten Things You Never Knew About Weight Loss. The final lesson is about exercise - for those who don't much like it!

10. Keep moving and lose weight

We all know that exercise is a critical part of the weight loss equation. Weight loss is essentially a function of calories in minus calories out - the more exercise we do, the more calories we burn, the more weight we lose. However, regular exercise is often a very difficult habit to get into. For a start, any form of vigorous exercise can be almost impossible for a person with a very high BMI - I know. At 20 stone I was never able to climb the stairs to my office at work - taking the lift was the only realistic option. I would never have dreamt of signing up at the locaal gym - imagine the embarrassment of attempting to exercise amongst all the fit, young bodies that I would have doubtless have encountered?! Going to the gym also takes a great slice of time out of the day and iis often simply unrealistic for obese people with young children, hectic lifestyles or demanding jobs.

So, this episode of the programme looked at whether it really is possible to achieve calorie burning by making small changes to our daily routine. The programme focussed on a lady called Amy. Amy's lifestyle is mainly sedentary. A typical day for her consists of sitting down at a desk and engaging in very little activity at home or work. On day one, her heart rate is recorded through the day and it simply confirms that she gets very little exercise. On day two, Amy is told to vary her routine a little. She has to be a little more active. For example, she has to use the stairs more at home and while she is sitting down (at home), she has to 'move around'. When she goes to work she has to get off the train at an earlier stop, walk up the escalator, and generally spend more time walking and talking. Even when she is at work standing in one place she is encouraged to move around as much as she can.

Her higher average heart rate on day two demonstrates that she has got much more activity - and more often. The result is, that on day two she burns an additional 240 calories! Now, this does not sound like much, but if repeated on a daily basis - that's half a pound a week or nearly two stones in a year!

The conclusion of the programme is that small changes in our daily routine are often enough to get us back into some physical activity without having to join a gym or take part in formalised activites that often cost quite a lot and take up a great deal of time. There was a reminder at the end of the programme that the benefits of burning calories would clearly be lost if we eat more than we otherwise would - so it's important to maintain the same calorie intake (or reduce it further).

I am keeping up with my attempt to walk an average of 10,000 steps per day and wear my pedometer everywhere I go. I don't always manage 10,000 on average but at least I have a target to aim for. I rarely manage 10,000 during the week - more like 5-7,000, but I generally do more than 10,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. I've been increasing my mid-week steps by parking further from the building in the car park at work. I also park further away from the shops if shopping at the weekend. I tend to 'pop out' of the office during the day and walk to the shop to either buy lunch or buy a bottle of drink. I also walk to the toilets furthest from my office rather than going to those closer - though I have to be careful that I don't waste too much work time (I do have things to do y'know!!!). I go for a half hour walk quite often when I get home from work - and it all adds up. I've also been swimming once a week and doing a once-a-week pilates class. I calculate the 'steps equivalent' of these activities and add it to my daily total. I must confess that I'm not very good at 'moving about' when I'm sitting or standing. I tend to walk when I'm walking, sit when I'm sitting and stand when I'm standing! In a typical week I probably walk at least 50,000 steps which is equivalent to 3000 calories - or nearly one pound. So it really is worth the effort, and I'm feeling much fitter and livelier than I used to.

Good luck out there!

Ice cream treat for a dark walk

On Bank Holiday Monday this week I decided to go for a decent walk - somewhere. After taking an absolute age to make a decision as to where I would go, I headed off for toward the eastern Pennines (east of Manchester). I ended up walking along a stretch of the Pennine Way, a 300-mile trail that goes from the Peak District in the south to near Hexham in the north east of England. Funnily enough, I've always cherished a quiet ambition to walk the whole of the Pennine Way - it takes about 21 days and local folklore is that if you can manage the first three days - you'll get to the end! This is because the first three days takes you over the highest and remotest moors of the so-called Dark Peak. It's so-called because it's composed of the dark-coloured local Coal Measures Gritstone and gives rise to enormous plateaux of deep, dark peat. The appearance of this upland moorland country is bleak and somehow threatening - but nevertheless impressive and spectacular. I would still love to walk the whole trail someday - I'd just have to find three weeks off work......

Well anyway, on Monday, I found myself walking along a section of the Pennine Way that would normally be met on about day three if you were doing the whole walk. I took in the peak of Black Hill (an ominous name, eh?), standing at 580m in the midst of a broad, windswept, dark plateau (see photo). The path began as a pleasant amble across open grassland but quickly ascended up to, and along, an exposed gritstone edge overlooking a stream valley, Crowden Brook. This was quite pleasant until the rain started to fall more heavily. Later, the route opened out onto the plateau top where the wind mercilessly ripped through my supposed windproof clothing. I met a man at the summit who was looking for a group of girls doing the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme - but at that point I hadn't seen them.

After a hastily eaten 'lunch' (at about 2.30pm!) of cold sardines and some salad (!) I bid a hasty retreat down to the more sheltered route back along the stream valley. The rain was falling hard now and the wind just as vigorous so there was no realistic possibility of being able to sit down anywhere to eat. Consequently, I only ate half my lunch. This is not unusual when I am out on a walk - I tend to get much more thirsty than hungry and I often don't eat my lunch until I get back to the car! I still haven't really managed to design an ideal 'walking lunch' though. I posted a couple of months ago about some dismal failures of lunches taken out onto the mountains with me - I still don't seem to be able to get it right. I suppose I am looking for a lunch that satisfies all the restrictions and requirements of being a bandit, while at the same time providing plenty of energy for high energy-output activity. I guess I'll keep experimenting......

I met the 'missing' group of girls on the way back and had a little conversation with them - they looked as though they needed a bit of encouragement - they were wet through, carring heavy ruksaks and looking very tired! As was I after a couple more hours of walking! I returned to the car at about 6pm, after 5 hours of solid walking. I was rather damp but not seriously wet. I was quite tired - I think walking in wind and rain is more tiring than walking in fine weather. I ate the remainder of my lunch in the car before setting off back to the warmth and dryness of home. I'd walked about 14km, ascended about 500m and clocked up 22,000 steps on my pedometer - burning about 1800 calories!!!

That evening I decided to treat myself - we went to the cinema to see "State of Play" and I ate a huge ice cream sundae! Before going to bed I did my usual calculations to see how many calories I'd burned, how many I'd eaten and the totally calorie deficit etc for the day. Even with the ice cream, I had a total calorie deficit for the day of 1900 - more than half a pound!!! Perhaps if I'd known that I could have had two ice creams.....

.....only joking!!

The photograph (from http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/616922 ) is copyrighted but also licensed for further reuse (under the Creative Commons Licence). Copyright owned by George Tod.

Burning calories in the Highlands

I am back from my jolly jaunt in the Scottish Highlands and have returned feeling very fit and energetic! Although this was a work-related trip I have managed to fit in LOADS of walking over the past week, spent in the Highlands of Scotland. Most days I managed at least 15,000 steps - and this over rough, hilly ground, and often uphill. I must have burned loads of calories. However, I haven't lost any weight this week because I have been putting in just as many calories as I have burned!!

A typical breakfast consisted of a small bowl of muesli followed by two slices of bread and marmalade. Typically, lunch was a cheese and pickle sandwich (or two, on some days), plus a small chocolate bar (like a Penguin) and a piece of fruit. I often supplemented this with an Alpen Light cereal bar too. Evening meals consisted of three, yes you read that correctly, THREE courses! First there was soup. This is obviously a slider food so it slipped down nicely, leaving plenty of room for my main meal! The main meals were slightly on the small side by 'normal' people's standards but were very large compared to what I have been eating for the last few months. Consequently, I was pretty full after each eveing meal. I didn't finish it every night but passed out leftovers to my more hungry male colleagues! I ate dessert every night too - also consisting of slider foods such as apple pie and a spoonful of custard. On top of all that (as if that wasn't enough), most evenings I also had a pint or two of calorie-laden orange juice and lemonade or shandy - well you've got to be sociable haven't you?!

On the plus side though, when I got home I weighed myself on my new super-duper body impedance bathroom scales (see a post to come later this week) and it seems that my body fat percentage and visceral fat have fallen over the past week. In other words, I have put on a significant amount of muscle. Certainly, the way my legs are starting to feel hard if I tense them up, and the goat-like way I managed some of the steeper climbs, seems to suggest I have developed more muscle.

For now, it's away with the luxury of three course meals and back to some serious, healthy eating. I am only about five pounds away from the magic BMI boundary of 30 that will take me from 'Obese' to 'Overweight' - so I really must get back to some serious business.

Offa's Dyke walk

I went for a holiday weekend walk today along a section of the Offa's Dyke trail in north Wales. It was a beautiful day with very warm sunshine and there were loads of people out and about and lots of families out walking. The route followed a well-made path and was generally along a ridge top. There were also some long sections of uphill walking and some steep downhill stretches. There were beautiful views to be had in all directions and it was really enjoyable. I think what made it even more enjoyable for me was that I felt really fit! I stepped out and kept up a pretty fast pace all the way, including on the uphill sections. I actually surprised myself at how fit and healthy I felt. I kept thinking back to pre-surgery times and how a walk like today's would have been really tough - and there's no way on earth I could have kept up the pace I did today.

Back at home now and rested, fed and watered (!), I am conscious that although I have no particular aches in my legs or other muscles, my body as a whole feels, well, sort of empty! A bit drained of energy, I suppose, I guess this is because I am consuming generally less calories. I have attempted to calculate how many calories I have burned today. I went back to the web site I posted about in March (click on the link above to return to my original post) that lists a wide range of activities and their calorie-burning equivalents per hour. This gives a rate of about 520 calories an hour for uphill walking and/or hiking. I did the sums and basically, if you multiply normal steps (i.e. as recorded on a pedometer) by 1.44, you get the equivalent steps if your walking was 'hiking' or uphill. You can then use the equivalent steps figure to determine calories burned - for someone weighing about 200 pounds, one step burns 0.06 calories.

So today, I have walked about 12,500 steps hiking, equivalent to 18,000 normal steps. Multiplying this by 0.06 gives total calories burned of 1080. I will have eaten about 1200 calories by the end of the day, which means that my total effective calorie intake is only 1200-1080 = 120!! Since my basal metabolic rate is about 1650, this means that I have achieved a calorie savings today of about 1530 (1650 - 120) - i.e. nearly half a pound!!! Well, the walk was lovely, but that figure makes it even more enjoyable!

Today's eating and activity

I thought it might be helpful to relate what I ate today - a typical working day (calories in brackets).

Breakfast: All Bran (40g) with soya milk and dried berries, 100ml orange juice (245).

Lunch: Salmon (100g), potatoes (100g), spinach and green beans (as per last night's dinner) (271).

Afternoon snack: Ribena, small banana and low fat fromage frais and a few mints (175).

Dinner: Wholewheat pasta (25g), cod in parsley sauce (boil-in-the-bag), butternut squash and leeks (241).

Dessert: Handful of red grapes and low fat fromage frais (125).

Total calories = 1057

Oddly enough, I was hungry for much of the day, until I ate the grapes and fromage frais this evening - which really filled me up!

I didn't do much walking at work today but did some stepping when I got home. Here's my total calories burnt and calorie 'savings' for the day:

Calories in = 1057
Calories burned = 690
Balance = 367
Total steps = 11,500
Basal metabolic rate = 1660
Calorie savings = 1660 - 367 = 1293

This is equivalent to about one third of a pound, so if I 'saved' this many calories every day I would lose about 2.5 pounds a week.

Pigging out

I have been a bit of a pig today. I was doing fine until lunch time. A few of us at work went out for lunch to the local restaurant bar. I was sensible and chose a meal that I thought would be quite small, and soft - I am still supposed to be on mush after my fifth band adjustment. I chose salmon fish cakes which came with a little side salad. I didn't eat the salad because I thought that would be too 'hard', but I managed both the fishcakes. I ate them slowly and was the last one to finish, as usual! So that was fine, and up to this point, although I had had more to eat for lunch than usual, it was by no means an excessive amount of food.

But eating food that has any amount of fat in it, as opposed to the very low fat food I have been eating for so long, seems to have the effect of waking up the fat gene in me. It's as though my brain suddenly remembers fatty food again and craves it. After lunch, one of my colleagues took us back to her office where she proceeded to fish out doughnuts and cookies from her goodie bag! I ate half a doughnut (which was pretty awful, actually, and very doughy) and a very small piece of cookie - but I didn't need either. About three hours later I ate a yoghurt, then while on the way to an evening meeting, I pigged a whole packet of soft mints. Prior to today, the most soft mints I have had in any one day is three! For both the yoghurt and mints, it wasn't that I was hungry, I just fancied some food.....

When I got to the evening meeting they were serving tea, coffee - and biscuits. I ate two, having not ate any biscuits for months. Afer the evening meeting, I suggested to my husband that we get a take-away. I bought a prawn mushroom curry with rice for myself. In a half-hearted attempt to be 'good' again, I put half of it on a small side plate thinking I would just eat half and either chuck the rest away or put it in the fridge for another day. In the event, I couldn't resist the urge and ate it all.

So, although I have walked about 8500 steps today, which is quite good for a mid-week day, I have probably consumed about 1600 calories - double what I ate yesterday. So, I suppose it's not a complete disaster because that's still less calories than I need in a day to maintain weight, but it's a timely reminder that although my body and habits have changed a lot, my 'fat' brain has not. In my head, I'm still a fatty, and probably always will be. That's why I so desperately need this band to work for me. It's too early to tell after my last adustment whether I now have good restriction, because I've not eaten any really solid food yet. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My life depends upon it.