The Con

I’ve just been very subtly duped. Conned maybe. Toyed with at the very least.

I read a lot on holiday, it’s when I catch up with all the books on my to-do list. Book number 5 on this break gave me a slight problem. The story was fine, but I started to think that my eye-sight was going. The font was clearly smaller than my other books, but still I didn’t think I should be squinting or getting tired eyes over a penguin paperback. I made a note in my Outlook to make an opticians appointment when I got home.

I got to the end of the book, and the very next page was an advert “Enjoy a good read with Specsavers.”

Now I’m not the cynical type- but it appears to me that Specsavers are paying Penguin for advertising space in a book with smaller than comfortable print. Are they really joining forces to make people think they need their eyes checked, and then telling them exactly where to have them done?

It makes me think of my own business. I’m ashamed to be part of the diet industry, with all it’s lotions and potions, pills, shakes, operations, promises, grand statements and emotional steering. I hate the fact that the whole industry thrives on telling people that they ‘need’ this or that, and that they can’t manage on their own. You’d think that putting on a bit of weight reverted you to a childlike state, unable to make any decisions for yourself.

However I’m proud of what we’re doing. We’ve called our blog honest diet for a reason. We’re helping people to lose weight, eating normal foods that they enjoy, without the big promises or pressure. And we’re succeeding.

I’m off to read a normal book. If you want to know more about our way of losing weight, comment below or give me a shout on mac@beltdown.com.

Tags: advertising, BMI, books, diabetes, diet, eat, food, glasses, health, lies, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, reading, sight, slimming, specsavers, travel, weight loss

Stop Stopping Doing Things

In my last post I wrote about replacing a cake binge with a fruit fest. It got me thinking about the power of swapping rather than stopping.

How many times has Cynthia the PA said she was going to stop eating biscuits? Or your mate said he was going to stop having a kebab after the pub? Or your sister said she was going to stop watching all the soap operas?

Stopping is hard- swapping is easier.

Your mate would be better off vowing to have a chicken shish kebab, which after all is just grilled chicken and salad (my local kebab man knows that he’s not to give me the pitta bread even if I beg- it’s a comedy act that’s lasted 7 years, but he never once has done.) So he’s still getting something to quosh his munchies, but not doing his weight any harm.

Your sister would be as well finding something else to do with the many hours she spent each week in soapland, something she’s always wanted to try. Or films she’s always wanted to see. With no plan to replace them, she’ll soon be back in the Queen Vic watching someone else’s disastrous wedding reception.

And Cynthia will never avoid the biscuit tin without a replacement- perhaps her old Hob Nob for an Almond Thin- surprisingly similar in taste but less than a quarter of the calories.

Sometimes the swap is more realistic than the stop. You’ll be able to keep it up longer, feel less deprived, and might even find you like the new thing more.

Tags: BMI, diabetes, diet, eastenders, eat, food, health, healthy, help, journey, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, slimming, soaps, swap shop, TV, waist, weight loss

Bad Habits Die Hard

Habit. The enemy of anyone trying to lose weight (I’m aware, if you follow my posts regularly, I think a lot of things are our enemy.) But habits are undoubtedly up there.

I’m on holiday this week, staying in a gorgeous villa and just about managing to climb into the pool and out again before needing another sleep in the sun.

On our first afternoon, one of my friends holidaying with me went for an ‘explore’ around the area. He found a bakery and arrived back with a bag of cakes and pastries to share with us all. So very kind. The following day, the other couple with us went for a wander and appeared back with a bag of similar treats. It appears that mid afternoon tea and cakes is a tradition in this villa. Well, it is now.

So- it’s then day 3, so what do I do? I feel duty-bound to reciprocate, and appear with a bag of spoils, but something is stopping me. It’s a 14 day holiday, and at this rate I won’t be fitting into my jeans to fly home. I decide to start a new tradition, after all,this one is only 48 hours old. I appear back from my walk with a bag of great treats- a watermelon, grapes, nectarines, oranges that look like the have burst off the trees.

And the reaction? Everyone tucks in, with comments like ‘so much better in the sun than danish pastries’ coming from their juice ridden mouths.

I’m a habit breaker! Are you? if there’s a habit you could break, comment on it below.

Tags: diabetes, diet, eat, food, health, healthy, holiday, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, pool, recipe, shopping, slimming, spain, travel, weight loss

Hungry? Bored? Eating?

I got mocked for my last post! I suggested that we eat when we are hungry and that a glass of water might be all we really need. Two different people got in touch, saying that their problem isn’t what they eat when they’re hungry that does the damage, but all the other food. The late night fridge raid or the box of biscuits on the desk at work.

They’re right – these are often the real challenge to anyone trying to shift some pounds. They can get the meals right, it’s the extras that they find hard to avoid. There are some simple tricks to use to avoid these:

• Eat when you’re hungry, not at any other time. If you’re bored, go bowling. Take up knitting. Borrow a neighbour’s dog and walk it. But don’t eat.
• If they’re not there, you won’t eat them. Simple, too simple, but true. If you can avoid having a cupboard, fridge or desk drawer full of tempting treats, then do
• Replace, don’t remove. If you fancy something to eat then you should have something. I try to fill my fridge up with treats that aren’t going to do me any harm, like exotic fruits. They cost a fortune so they still feel like a treat, but not one that’s going to pile the weight back on.
• Be honest with other people. If Rosemary the PA seems intent on feeding you her body weight in biscuits or chocolates, just tell her she’s ever so kind but not this month. Don’t say no each time – you’ll start to feel like you should take one just to be polite. Tell her you’re doing a 4 week junk-free sponsorship thing for the local children’s ward. OK, that’s not necessarily being honest with other people, but she’ll put the Hob Nobs away for sure.

The fact is, if you’re serious about losing some weight, you’ll have to protect yourself from the times that you just slip a few hundred calories into your mouth without even wanting them.

mac@beltdown.com

Tags: BMI, diabetes, diet, drink, eat, food, health, healthy, help, life, lifestyle, male diet, men, slimming, water, weight loss

Water water everywhere

There’s an old theory in weight loss circles, that I think has some truth to it. They say that when you think you’re hungry you may actually be thirsty, and that you should have a glass of water and see if the feeling subsides. If it doesn’t, then tuck in.

I notice that when I’m on holiday I naturally drink more water, and I feel less hungry. Now those things may not be directly linked, but it may be worth giving it a go.

If you want to know more about losing weight with our totally free weight loss plan that encourages good healthy eating, give us a shout at mac@beltdown.com. I promise you get more than a glass of water to fill you up.

Tags: BMI, diabetes, diet, drink, food, health, help, holiday, journey, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, slimming, tips, water, weight loss

Airports – The Dieter’s Hell

What is it about Airports that makes me think that eating junk is a perfectly good idea? I can avoid crisps, cake, biscuits and chocolate for months on end, but walking into an airport seems to send me into a parallel universe where you need rubbish rather than oxygen to survive.

Perhaps it’s a boredom thing. Or maybe I’m making excuses.

Tags: airport, BMI, diabetes, diet, eat, flying, food, health, healthy, holiday, journey, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, plane, slimming, travel, weight loss

Can I holiday and diet at the same time?

I should be packing. In one hour the cab will be coming to take me off on my annual beachfest – 2 weeks of doing really not very much.

I’m going to do my usual half diet while I’m away. What I mean is, I’m going to have a great time; I’m going to eat and drink the local specialities and I’m not going to feel one tiny bit guilty. But I’m not going mad. I’m going to choose which naughtinesses I really want, and have them, but that doesn’t mean the gloves are off for a fortnight. When there is a healthy option that I fancy, I’ll be having it.

I can guarantee that some Sangria and Paella will pass my lips. Possibly by nightfall!

Tags: BMI, diabetes, diet, eat, eating, food, health, healthy, holiday, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, slimming, spain, weight loss

Diet Lies I’ve Told

It occurs to me that in the pursuit of weight loss I’ve told more lies than I have in the rest of the areas of my life put together. Although to be fair, I have done a lot of losing weight.

My favourite was telling the waiter in my favourite restaurant that I was allergic to oil, so could he make sure that my meal was made without any. He did, and it was always lovely. After a year he discretely asked me what would happen if I ate oil. I told him – my body would balloon up to twice its current size. I even had a photo to show him of when it had happened once before.

We’re compiling a list of our favourite diet lies  – share yours with us at mac@beltdown.com

Tags: diabetes, diet, eat, food, health, healthy, lies, life, lifestyle, male diet, male weight loss, men, slimming, waist, weight loss

Wedding Weightloss Woes

I went to a wedding last night – the whole wedding party looked amazing. The bride, groom, parents of the bride, parents of the groom, even the family dog… they’d all lost a lot of weight for the big day. But they’d all made a pact – to get down to their target size for the suits and dresses, but then to go away and put it all back on again on a variety of post wedding holidays and the months afterwards. And they actually mean it. All of the weight.

I wonder, what’s the point? If you care enough to want to look slim for your wedding day, why unpick all of the good that you’ve done? And more importantly, why lose the health benefits that losing weight will bring? Why not go on holiday, relax, enjoy the all inclusive buffet to your heart’s content, and then come back and lose the few pounds that you’ve gained.

I reckon the dog will be all right though. The kennels he’s staying in are on a farm.

Tags: diet, eat, health, healthy, honeymoon, life, lifestyle, male weight loss, slimming, wedding, weight loss

1lb a week – too slow?

I’ve had a member of our weight loss group telling me that their weight loss is too slow at 1lb (0.5kg) a week. I disagree.

Imagine that you go to an annual event, perhaps a friend has a summer BBQ each July. You turn up one year and one of the people that you only see there has lost over 4 stone. And they are eating a plateful of food.

That’s what happens when you lose 1lb a week. You get to look completely different without making massive sacrafices to your lifestyle. If you’d like to know more about how my member is making this change, shout  – mac@beltdown.com .

Tags: diet, eat, health, male diet, male weight loss, men, waist, weight loss