Correct weight

March 26, 2004 ·  

I tipped the scales this morning at 12st 6lb, which is one pound shy of correct weight for my height (5′10) according to BMI calculations.

It also means I’ve lost nearly four stone since I started my fitness crusade 12 months ago. I wasn’t always 16 stone, but I did gain weight quickly last summer and that provided a catalyst for doing something positive about it.

I saw several people today for the first time in a year and it was nice that they commented on how much weight I’ve lost. Even my doctor is impressed. I’ve lost a stone since I last saw him around Christmas.

Of course, everyone wants to know how I did it.

The short answer is exercise. I made some minor dietary changes, which I’ll discuss later, but my overall strategy was to burn more fuel than I consume.

Exercise

Starting from a zero fitness base in March 2003 I began walking 20 minutes a day, five days a week. The first strolls around Porepunkah revealed just how unfit I was, embarrassing really.

I gradually increased the length and difficulty of the walks. There are plenty of hills around here to strengthen lazy leg muscles.

The intensity lifted gradually with harder bush walks. By December I was scaling Mount Buffalo, Mount Feathertop and Mount Porepunkah without too much trouble.

When summer kicked in I lost the enjoyment of walking. The flies and heat were too much, so I took to bike riding.

I started with short rides into Bright and back (11km), then to Eurobin (19km return). It was hard at first, but pleasurable.

It also helped accelerate weight loss, which levelled around 13 and a half stone for a month or two.

I now ride 30km most days of the week, sometimes more, but rarely less. With winter coming I will probably revert to walking and save the longer bike rides for weekends.

My weight has levelled again, although I seem to lose a pound every fortnight on the current routine, so I don’t feel the need to change anything.

My weight can fluctuate by up to three pounds over the course of a week depending on how much exercise, what I eat and possibly other factors.

Diet

I stopped eating fatty foods like pizza, pies and sausage rolls. I hardly ever have takeaways now, when previously I bought them three or four times a week, especially for lunch.

I increased the amount of seafood I eat substantially. This helped raise my good cholesterol.

I’m not a big fruit and veg fan, but I drink fruit juice and have vegetables with stir fry meat several times a week. I switched to low-fat versions of products like milk, butter, cheese and mayonnaise.

I rarely eat cake or sweet treats, except some occasional chocolate after a meal.

I now read supermarket labels to check the fat content of food.

Overall, I probably eat as much now as I did a year ago. Food consumption was less while I was walking, but now that I’m cycling I actually get hungry and snack on dry biscuits or dried fruit.

I find that I have a lot more energy, which is important with the babies and my workload.

Whereas in the past I would have complained there was too little time for exercise I now make time and find that I have more time.

Being fit changes your outlook on life. In the past I would have looked at a mountain and thought it impossible to climb. Now I wonder what the view will be like from the top.

The horizon has become a lot closer.

Similar articles

Tags: ,

Bookmark and Share

« Technology gap widens  » Tonsilitis


Comments

Leave a Reply




    Search


  • Random posts

    • Archives



    Useful stuff