Live Well

Healthy Living Blog

April 22, 2010
Don't try to loose weight

Don't try to loose weight  

This is a question I've dealt with recently.  I've never been in a position where I had to shed a few pounds. With age catching up and the summer months being good to me food and beer wise, I grew a pot.  I thought that I'd easily shed the ‘extra appendage' that had sprung up, but I didn't.  

Now that rugby is back on the weekend schedule, I don't have a choice, I have had to loose 6kg in a short time or face hanging up the boots early, before I'm ready.  The grade is weight restricted to 85kg maximum, or you don't play. Weigh in is every weekend and there's not tolerance. Loosing the weight so I can play and keeping it off is difficult and a constant nag. I have a greater appreciation for those of you who battle the bulge on a regular basis.   Hopefully you will think I have a valid point here.  The way I see it is that loosing weight is yet another inhibitor to living the perfect life - that being a life which consists only of pleasures at no cost.  It's damn difficult to stop yourself from snacking, KFC and six beers on a Friday or stuffing the butter covered left over piece of ciabatta down your face just before bed. It is equally challenging to motivate your self to pay a visit to the gym or hit the tarmac for a run.  This brings me to my point, in order to loose weight, we definitely need a reason, otherwise the sway of the ‘perfect life syndrome' will be too strong.  We need a grand personal cause, but one that is simple and unrelenting.

I realise that most of my friends have been using this tactic since they turned 30 and they are doing it in droves.  It's about aligning your weight loss goals with a tangible, time definitive event/goal that requires physical exercise beyond your normal half hearted attempts at Les Mills.  Goals like, "looking hot", "fit into old clothes", "going on holiday", "doctor said so", "feel better", "arse too big, must make smaller" are all too generic, vague and lack any measure of progress. They're also too focused on the issue of weight.  This is why a sporting event goal can be so effective, it's not about weight loss, it is about completing an event and there's no going back once entered.  Plus you get moral support from other entrants, friend and family.

Here's how to do it, pretty simple really:

1.      Consider a sport that you have always thought would be interesting or challenging.  This isn't the sport you think you excelled at when you were seven years old attending Te Araoha Primary - things change people.  Some good options are:  ½ marathons, beginner sprint triathlons, 10km fun runs, charity bike events, ocean swims, weight restricted rugby?

1.      Sign up for an event, 3, 6 or 12 months out depending on how much time you need for training.  Get a training guide from the event organisers or simply use your other mind - Google.

2.      Tell all your friends and family what you have done and invite them to the event.  Effectively dig yourself a big hole you can't back out of.

3.      Make a bet with your friend, other half, Dad etc that you will hit finish it, hit a certain time, win - you get the idea. Dig the hole further.

4.      Complete the event, buy the photo, wear the t shirt, have a beer or bubbly to celebrate.

Do this and I can guarantee that loosing weight all of a sudden becomes the least of your problems. This looming event, that gives you butterflies thinking about it, will get you out of bed to train.  It will get you fit so that the idea of crappy food looses its appeal. It will the inevitable low patches, push you through because the idea of telling your friends or family that your have chickened out is worse than seeing it through.  Do it right and push yourself and if you don't loose weight in the process, then you're probably just big boned.

Links to some useful event sites:

http://www.coolrunning.co.nz/calendar/ (NZ running events calendar)

http://www.aucklandmarathon.co.nz/ (big, popular half/full marathon event)

http://www.peoplestri.com/  (good starting point for Triathlon)

http://www.swimrun.org/info.php

http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/  (do this with mates, not an event or race but will need to be fit)

http://www.eventstaranaki.co.nz/home  (around the mountain run etc)

http://www.cyclingnz.com/cnz5_events.php

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Archives
April 2010

Cook Well, Live Well Tips

Quirky Kitchen Tips

  • To reduce eye watering when you chop onions put the onion into the refrigerator first  chili-peppers.jpg
  • Did you smell up your microwave with burned popcorn? Place a few drops of lemon juice in a cup of water and nuke it until it is hot.
  •  Substitute lemon juice or herbs for salt when cooking pasta or grains.
  • To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes. 
Hangover Assistance?  

Banana Smoothie - tasty, helps with the sperm count too apparently.  

Add all ingredients into a blender/food processor.  Blend until berries and banana lumps are gone. Add some ice cream if weight isn't a current issue. 

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 8 strawberries
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 can V8 tomato juice
  • 1-2 cups  soy milk
  • 2 spoons honey
  • nutmeg or cinnamon to taste
 
 

 Three Logical Ways To Shed Weight
  1. Don't eat as much food today as you did yesterday.  Avoid snacking.
  2. Exercise - get off your bum and do a form of exercise three days per week at least. Suggest low body impact exercises that work a wide range of muscle groups such as swimming, indoor rowing (urg), cycling etc.
  3. Drink low alcohol beer. The low carb product is lower in carbs than normal beer, however it's negligible given the daily intake of carbs you will consume through food and drink anyhow.  

   News Letter Recipe of the Month

Here's one of the best cookie recipes you'll experience, it's quick n easy so no excuses for keeping the family or friends deprived.  If you're a peanut butter fan, then load it up.

Best Peanut Butter Cookies 

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 oz butter
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cream sugars and butter. Beat in egg, peanut butter, salt and soda. Blend in flour. Add vanilla. Roll into small balls and place on baking sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350°F or 180°c or until slightly brown on edges.

 

 Caffeine - make the most of it.

Caffeine quota. Some of us are more sensitive to caffeine intake than others. Many adults can take up to 250 milligrams of caffeine a day (the average amount in 21/2 cups of coffee) and experience no sleep problems. Others get jitters after one cola.  If you know that the extra cup at 4.00pm on a Tuesday afternoon is going to send you temporarily into overdrive but will keep you up past bedtime, perhaps try going for a quick walk outside and then finish earlier than planned since you are obviously over tired and need that good nights sleep.

Time your caffeine boost. For most people, the effects of caffeine wear off within six hours, so coffee in the morning will usually not interfere with sleep in the evening. Caffeine-containing beverages at lunch may not affect your sleep, but coffee, tea, or caffeine containing soft drinks in the evening is likely to keep you awake.