I’m still getting up a 4. My weight is going in the right direction. I’m not eating as much junk.
Today’s Weight: 111kg
Today’s FatSecret log
So why the Body for Life book? Well…inspiration. There was a time in my life when I weighed 290lbs (131kg or 20stone 9lbs). That is 45lbs more than I weigh now. We went on a ski trip, I had a good time, however, I saw how out of shape I was. I don’t ever want to be there again! What made the difference then was seeing it and wanting to take action. I picked up a copy of Bill Philips’ Body for Life and started. In that 12 weeks, I lost down to 245ish–about where I am now. When we moved to Columbus around 2003, I decided to do another round and hit my low mark of 205ish. About a year later, I started riding my bike to work and kept that up until we moved overseas. While we were in Columbus, I met Rick Harrington (you’ll have to scroll down and read his post. That link is broke…sorry…I couldn’t find anything else online about him) who had been a semi-finalist in the competition. He was a big inspiration to keep going while in Columbus
In all of my weight-loss, one thing has been constant: a body for life. Unless you have only 5lbs to lose, some sort of weird crash diet isn’t going to work. You need a lifestyle change. Some people have had good success with paleo diet sort of things, some people do atkins, the list goes on. For me, a total change is/was necessary: I need to start eating healthier and exercising with a purpose. What does that mean?
Exercise every day. I don’t have weights (and can’t afford them at the moment). I’m doing the Biggest Loser xBox game. So far, it is working out better.
Eat right. I like Bill’s idea of smaller meals spread through the day. Portions. Fist/Palm sized whatevers. Easy. It works. For me, the hardest time to keep this up is when I travel; however, the good news is I shouldn’t be gone as much this year.
Free day. Bill allows a free day where you can eat whatever you want. In his Eating for Life Q/A section, he says:
I have people ask me all the time does free day mean you can eat whatever you want? 12 Krispie Kremes? My [Bill Phillips] answer is sure. But do it and be honest. Eventually you won’t like how you feel after.
Sorry, that isn’t an exact quote, but you get the idea (here’s a link to an online discussion of people talking about it). Yes, you really can have a free day and eat whatever you want. I lost 90 lbs doing that. The problem for me is planning the free day so it is that…a free DAY. Not a free weekend. Not a day + a night. A day. It let’s me put off cravings until the end of the week–very manageable–and if I still want it then I eat it. But I try not to gorge on the 12 Krispie Kremes because I feel rubbish afterwards.
What does all of this do? It gets you in a mindset of doing it. You see you can live like this. You see you feel better. So you end up with a Body for Life.
Book cover image from awws via flickr