Slowly getting to grips with weighty issues

Hello there (that's if anyone's out there?), and welcome to this entry where the focus for the next few weeks is how to get into the physical shape necessary for a hopefully long and happy retirement.  Last entry was about the potential dangers of drinking too much alcohol when retired.

Linked to this is the broader issue of losing weight and hopefully thereby avoiding some of the health disadvantages of being overweight.  At 5ft 9ins and 15st 2lbs I am in the "obese" range.  Six years ago I ran the London marathon and was 13st 6lbs so  have put on nearly two stones in two years.  As we age I know the metabolism slows down which means I probably need to eat less than what I was eating a couple of years ago.  I also do not run now as I feel that at my weight I would be putting too much strain on my knees which of course means less exercise and further weight gain.  

Retirement gives me a chance to address these issues in a way that would have been difficult whilst working full-time.  The reasons for this are as follows:

1. After a stressful day at work I would come home and EAT!
2. At work there was an almost constant supply of sweets,biscuits, cakes and and other calorific snacks.  They were tempting, gave you a sugar blast and constantly just "there"
3. When I did eat lunch it was always "on the go" which I know is not a healthy way to eat

Away from work I can plan how I am going to tackle the weight issue, buy the right foods and avoid the sugary temptations of the work environment.The first thing was deciding  what approach I should take to losing weight.  A lot of what I have read makes me question the old othordoxy of low-fat calorie counting.  Instead I can see the logic of eating healthy, non- processed foods with an emphasis on fresh fruit and veg, more protein as opposed to carbs, cutting down on alcohol and building in some fasting. 

Last week I tried the Moseley 5-2 diet to see how I would cope with consuming just 600 calories for two days out of seven.  Surprisingly I did cope but I did not lose weight.  The reason for that is simple- I made up for the food I had skipped by eating more than usual on the 5 normal eating days. Not what was intended I know but it did at least show me that the 5-2 diet was a possibility and for a foodie like me restricting my intake for a day rather than days on end was definitely more manageable.  This week I shall do the two fasting days but eat sensibly on the 5 other days and see what happens.

I will also build in some meditation and look at building in some new routines around food such as eating more slowly and not finishing other people's leftovers!

I will record the process in this blog and see if I can lose around 8lbs by the end of the month.

Till next time.
John