SOME TIME OFF

 

31^st July, 2021

I first started writing my blog back in 2014 to log my weight loss journey to see where it would take me. I wrote it until 2015, and then life got in the way, old habits kicked back in and I stopped writing. Mostly because I knew I was putting weight back on and I felt that I was a failure. Looking back on it, knowing what I know now, I realise I hadn't failed, I just hadn't learnt what I needed to learn.

Fast forward to 2020 (what a year to go down in history, for so many reasons) and I started to write once again. My writing has helped me mentally to work things out and clear my mind. I have been writing this time for 16 months, and during this time I have learnt so much about myself and about weight loss. I am now at a point where I am nearly there with the weight I need to lose, and will soon begin learning how to maintain my weight. I have been informed that my hip replacement operation should now take place towards the end of August, and with a long awaited visit from our grandchildren for ten days at the beginning of the month, we are going to have a very busy – and interesting – time. Because of this, I have decided that until at least the beginning of September I am taking a break from writing my blog.

It is definitely going to be a very interesting period, where I am not really sure what is going to happen, but I am sure it will give me quite a lot to write about once I am ready. I will probably at times not have a lot of control over what I eat, but that will not be the end of the world (at least I don't think it will).

I am sure that I will soon be back on track to be the best and healthiest I can be in time for my son and future daughter-in-law's wedding at the end of November.

I'll sign off for now, but hopefully I will be back writing down my thoughts about weight loss and life very soon indeed.

Love for now,

Jackie

xxx

P.S. I am now 13 stone and have lost 102 lbs!

NORMALISE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS SITUATION

 27^th July, 2021

Some of us have a weight issue, and, let's face it, there are quite a few of us, who  have it for one reason or another. Years ago, we did not have as many things to assist us physically such as cars, machinery, washing machines or vacuum cleaners. There is a massive list of things to help us  depending on our circumstances. We all did far more physical work then we do now. When you put that together with much more processed foods and we have got bigger over the years. We also have more money to spend on good food, whereas back in history it was mainly the wealthy that could potentially be larger. I have said in the past that the slimming industry started back in the early 1950s, which was around about the time that people's lives were beginning to change in a big way. If we really looked back in history and saw how much lifestyles had changed, we would see the simple reason why some weight issues began. We started eating and drinking more and became far less active. Food, for most of us, is easily obtained.

I still think of that lady I spoke about last time, who was so afraid of the calories she would have thrown away a perfectly good sandwich, even though she had spent good money on it. Now I know that it was up to her, but we seem to have become a very disposable society, where something has no value and can be just thrown away. I don't like to waste probably because I have never really been in the position to be able to  waste things or throw them away, but then I wouldn't want to. With the creation of the diet industry, eating to lose weight seems to have become more and more complicated. When we had a more active lifestyle, we had no choice but to be physical. It was part of everyday life. Not we have to think about being physical, especially when wanting to lose weight. It is an effort and an effort that we might not want to do in our busy lives. Same way that when we like to eat high fat, high sugar, processed food, we can find it an effort to cut then out and eat more healthy foods. We have a different lifestyle, but when we see a weight loss program all planned out for us it seems the easier way to go to achieve what we want. Also, it may be part of the current trend, and if a lot of other people are doing it too, then surely it must be the right way! That, in my opinion, may not be completely correct as we are all, as I have said many times, individuals, but there are many who can't, or won't, see it that way.

We all live our lives, the “norm” is the “norm” and obviously if we want to do something like losing weight, we must have to do something “special”. It all takes effort and it is questionable as to whether it's sustainable. If it isn't, than we could and can do get caught up in a yo-yo diet. This can be very stressful, to both mind and body. We have been made to feel that the diet industry is special and to lose weight must be done in a special way. In my opinion it's not on a diet, off a diet, it's a way of life. It is something that has to be there each and every day of our life. A daily habit that has to become a part of our life. If we were to learn to replan our eating habits, we can establish a balanced way of eating. This can still include the occasional foods that may not be classed as healthy. There would be no need for cheat days or diet breaks when we are on a “diet”. These foods, whatever we like, can be incorporated into our daily lives. They can be there, just not as often, and won't hurt the weight loss process or the weight maintenance. Also, if foods are not classed as cheats or “naughty” their allure will not be as great, and we will not feel so bad when we have eaten them. You may even realise how bad certain foods made you feel and decide you really don't want to eat them. Once you have something, you may not even want it, who knows? :-) If you do, it's not really a problem. I have said so many times you really need to look at yourself and discover what it is you like to eat and what kind of lifestyle you have. Now this does take a bit of effort and it may be easier to follow what someone else has worked out. This is fine, but just think for one moment – does that person really know you? Even if you do find their way is the best for you, and that's fine, is it something that can be done long term, and take away the weight loss, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain cycle that you may have had?

It does takes effort to work out a sustainable way of eating for you personally, but in the long term it will become easier. It hopefully will all become a way of life and a normal one way to live. Yes, you want to be part of the group, or follow the trend but hopefully it will take some of the stress of restrictions away. It will hopefully become a way of eating that you can live with. I know it has to be like this for me. I have yo-yo dieted for years, followed the latest diet trends and new ideas, and it just hasn't worked for me. In my experience the only person that has gained from these diets I have tried is the person that put it out there. That is why they often say diets don't work. Diets may not work, but a sustainable way of eating should. I have looked at people who have used a diet and also people that have worked out a sustainable way of eating and the sustainable way definitely seems to have more success.

My weight loss journey this time is my last. I am 63 years old, and I don't really want to get back in that vicious cycle of losing weight and putting it back on anymore. The way I am eating now has to work for me and still enable me to live an enjoyable life, including eating foods I love. I think it will work out, but only time will tell, to use a well worn cliché. I will be here documenting what happens, the highs and lows, the ups and downs. If this idea for a sustainable way of eating can grow and take away the diets and diet trends that cause so much great stress and pressure, well, all the better. We can only hope.

People will always look for an easy solution, but in my personal experience, easy solutions just don't work. A bit of effort in the beginning will result in an easier way in the end, but it will always remain in competition with what is fashionable or trendy. Perhaps one day, a few celebrities may push a sustainable way of eating, rather than the next “in” diet plan. We can only hope, even though it may not be as glamourous, and doesn't sell books! Who knows, perhaps one day it may! :-)

All for now.

Until next time,

Love, Jackie.

xx

DON'T BE AFRAID OF CALORIES

 

22^nd July, 2021

I had to go to the hospital last Friday for a pre-operation assessment appointment that had been postponed from Monday. That was my second appointment there last week, having seen the ortheopedic specialist on the Wednesday. Both days I was there quite a long time. On Friday it was 2 ½ hours. I had lots and lots of tests done on me, one of which may cause a slight problem, but we will see. At about 1 PM, as I was leaving the hospital, I thought that as I hadn't had much to eat at breakfast, I would try to find something to eat. I hadn't had my usual breakfast because I knew I was going to be weighed and I didn't want to have a full stomach. Silly, I know, the scales are just a number that changes through the day, but when it's going to determine my B.M.I. for the operation, I wasn't taking any chances. B.M.I. is such an old fashioned measure of someone's health, but it is used in the N.H.S. for operation eligibility, so I have to go with it. My weight was fine, so that isn't going to be a problem, it's my circulation now, but as I said we will see what happens next.

Anyway, as I said, it was lunch time and I really needed to eat something, so I looked to see if I could find some food. There is a restaurant there that the public can use, but I didn't fancy going in on my own as it was very busy. In the end I went to the shop and got a meal deal. This comprised of a sandwich (chicken and salad), a packet of baked crisps and a diet coke. The whole thing added up to about 550 calories. This was not ideal, but I had had a light breakfast and it was what was available at the time. At least there was a good balance of protein and carbohydrates etc. I know I didn't need to eat the crisps, but it had been a long, hot morning and I just felt like eating it all, and having a drink. As I came out of the shop, a lady came rushing up to me. Now, I know this will sound strange, but she said, quite frantically, “Would you like an egg sandwich?”

I explained I had just bought my lunch and I really could not eat two sandwiches. “Oh”, she said, “I have just bought this sandwich and it's 400 calories. I can't eat that many, I am on a diet, and I've seen some others that are less so I don't want this. I will have to throw it away”. I said “You can't do that and waste it, give it to me and I will take it home”

“Oh, that's good”, she said, “I would have just thrown it away, if not”. She then passed the sandwich to me and went back into the shop.

I was a bit taken aback really, but I don't like food to be wasted. What also bothered me is the fact that she was so afraid of those 400 calories. I don't know her circumstances and never will, but what I do know is that she was going to just throw away good food just because it didn't fit in with her diet plan. If you stop to think about it, that makes no sense really, but the concept of losing weight is, to many people, just so rigid. I wish there had been more time to ask her what she was so scared of. If she was like what I used to be like, it would have been the fear of going over a certain amount of calories. I would be obsessional on previous diets. Even thinking that the whole day had been ruined if I went over the allowance by as little as 50 calories. Often thinking, well I might as well blow the diet today if this happened. I can still remember the pressure I felt about this. Losing weight is hard enough, but to put yourself under so much pressure is bound not to end well at all. To be honest, 400 calories can be spent a lot better than on a sandwich, that is not very filling, but then, if that's what's there...

Also, you would have thought she would have taken a good look around before she bought the sandwich. I will never know the full story of this lady's diet, but I know that I am far more relaxed now about what I can eat. As I have said before, I know roughly how many calories I can have each day, and I can adjust accordingly. If I eat more at lunch time, I eat less at dinner and vice versa. This has worked for me.

The actual process of losing weight is quite simple - “Less in, more out” - but it is quite often made far more complicated. There are many diets, but they all work in relatively the same manner. The body needs a certain amount of energy to function. Eat less energy, you lose weight. Eat equal energy, you maintain weight. Eat more, you gain weight. A calorie is a unit of energy and every food and drink contains a certain amount of calories. There is no need for complicated diets, they have no special magic, but if they work for the individual, then that's up to them. I just think that added pressure when it comes to sustainable weight loss is something I do not need. It never worked for me in the past, and I know that it wouldn't work for me now. If that lady really thought about it, is wasting food really worth the special diet – whichever one she is on.

As I have said, it is up to the individual, but I am glad I have found my own way. I know how many calories I have to spend, and I'll spend them the best way I can. If I do go over by a couple of hundred calories, it's not the end of the world, as far as I think now and it is more of a stress free way of thinking. Weight loss Is a marathon, not a sprint, if it is to be done safely and for the long term.

I brought the sandwich home and had it for my lunch the next day. I hope the lady found something to eat that she felt less pressured about, and succeeds in her weight loss journey. I continue now with my own way of eating and hopefully can lose at some point those last few pounds I would like to. No hurry, slow and steady wins the race, well at least for me. :-)

Until next time,

Love, Jackie

xx

YOUR MIND NEEDS TO BE HEALTHY TOO

 

18^th July, 2021

Last time I wrote, it was about feelings and how they can affect us. How they do can differ greatly depending on what state of mind we are in. And that is what I am thinking about today – our mind. If our mind is in a strong place we can deal with issues a lot easier, then if it is not. I know when I first saw the first specialist about my knee,yes it was just my knee then,  six years ago now, and he was downright rude to me. I could not deal with it in perhaps the same way as I could now. It was obvious he did not like operating on what he thought were, quote, “fat people”. He said at the time that in his opinion fat people were unhygienic and because of this did not heal properly and it was a waste of time operating on them. Now I don't know if this is completely true, but I have known a few slim people in my time who were not clean, as I have also known larger people who are. I know at the time I really should have said something, but I was in so much pain and I wasn't able to deal with it . I am still in a lot of pain now, but have come to terms with my situation and I am in a much better state of mind which has been helped greatly with the far, far better relationship I have with my current specialist.

The mind is indeed a very complex thing, studied by many a scholar, but all we need to know is how best to use it on a daily basis, if we are healthy enough to do this. My thoughts at the moment are about how our minds come into play when we need to lose weight. I have said before that this is completely different if you have only a few pounds to lose, than if you have to shed a hundred or more. It's the motivation to start, then to look at what bad habits are ingrained, and then the time scale that all this takes. To lose a lot of weight well and in a safe way can take a long time. My current (and last) weight loss journey has taken me two and a half years, but only really seriously the last eighteen months. It does take a long time, not only to lose the weight, but also to change the habits that really, deep down, we might not want to change. We would much prefer to carry on with the way of eating that we like, and just wake up one morning to find that the weight has magically just vanished. Real life just doesn't quite work that way. You do sort of wake up one morning to find the weight has gone and your life has changed in oh so many ways, but that takes quite a while. If you are like me, then you'll look back and you won't really be able to get your head around how you actually did that.

I don't profess to know a lot about the mind, I am learning how mine works, but what I do know is that it takes hard work to make it work in a beneficial way so you can achieve what you want to. What I have learnt in my weight loss journey, which is personal to me, is that in the beginning I had to change things quite a lot. Looking back now, I didn't think I had, but I did. What I had to do is be very firm with myself and know, firstly, why I was doing what I was doing, and secondly how I was going to do it. Knowing why I was doing it seemed sort of easy. Having said that, it wasn't. I started seeing the dietician at the end of 2019 and that year physically and mentally had not been a good one for me. I had spent the whole year trying to see a new orthopaedic specialist, having been sent to a physiotherapist in the first instance. Now, what they thought the physio could do for me, when the joints had all worn away I am not sure. That same physio would not even believe me when I insisted something more was wrong. This turned out to be true at the end of 2019 when they finally realised something was very wrong, and it was then I got to see a specialist very quickly.

Sorry, I digress. Anyway, I saw the dietician and slowly began to realise I had to change the situation I was in. No disrespect to her, she didn't really tell me much I didn't already know about food, but she listened to me and that was a start. By the time I saw the specialist in March 2020, I was mentally ready to lose weight myself and it was a good job I was, as because of lockdown I had to do it myself without any real professional help. So I knew why I had to do it and was ready! I then had to work out how I was going to do it. I also had to seriously think about what had gone wrong in the past and try to change it this time. Now, we all know it basically comes down to calories in being less than calories out, but it is not quite as simple as that. I can't really exercise that much so it's difficult for me to increase the number of calories I burn off, and because of this I really needed to make the most of my calories in. This is sort of where the mind comes into play. You are aware of how many calories you can eat and lose weight, but you are used to a certain way of eating. A way of eating that has caused you to be overweight. You have to try to eat differently, still get the nutrients you need and also satisfy your mind. You don't want to change the way you eat. Technically, you shouldn't have to change much about the way you eat. You should be able to eat slightly less calories and eat slightly more healthier, and it should work, but for me it didn't carry on being that way. In the beginning it did, but my habits were not changing enough. All the time I was eating in the same way, my mind wasn't adjusting to form new habits. I didn't need to because it could cause cravings and force me to eat more. I soon realised I had to completely change what I was doing in order to force new habits to form. I cut out the calories I didn't need, cut out the foods and drink that wasted calories and learnt to eat the amounts I needed to at different times of the day. I was lucky that during lockdown we couldn't go out to eat , but we were still able to get takeaways delivered if we wanted and all of this had to be taken into account. I really had to learn about myself and how my mind and body worked, and how I could retrain my mind, even if I couldn't retrain my body.

This way worked for me and even though I still haven't completely changed all my eating habits I am definitely getting there. We are always being told what we do with our bodies is important with weight loss but still there is not enough emphasis on the role that the mind plays. I see some diet plans are now going that way but it all still comes down to your weight loss, your mind set. Something you can only do for yourself. So all I can say is even if I don't have a lot of control over my bodily health at the moment, I can at least work on my mind's health. The healthier the mind is, the more chance you have of looking after yourself and achieving the new habits that you need in order to succeed long term.

That's all for now,

Until next time,

Love, Jackie

xx

FEELINGS. WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO WIN!

 

14^th July, 2021

We all have feelings, and feelings are not always easy to cope with. We must have them for a reason, I know we learn and become stronger from some of the feelings that we have, but that does not make it easier when you are wrapped up in sad, emotional feelings. I have been told don't let emotions affect what you say and how you behave, but that definitely isn't easy. There will be people this Monday morning just gone feeling jaded and sad (at the very least) because England didn't win the European Championship. I am not really a football watcher but I think the team did well to reach the final, and being a winner isn't just about holding up a trophy. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment and training just to get anywhere near the needed standard to go through all the previous rounds and qualify for the end game. Knowing you have a goal, no pun intended, and committing yourself to it takes a strong mind. It can take a long time to get where you need to be and know what you need to do to get there. Now, I am in no way saying that I am the same as an England football team player, far from it, but a challenge is a challenge. Whether it's playing for England or losing 100 lbs plus in weight. It just takes a different mind set and obviously a much greater fitness level to play for England, but losing a great amount of weight is still a challenge and something to be very proud of. That said, coping with all the different feelings that crop up in life is hard. Even when you feel disappointed that you didn't quite get there you have to try and remember how far you have come and what it took to get there.

It takes a special kind of person not to let feelings effect how we think and how we behave. To always see what we have done and not to think at some point we have not done well. In a way I envy people that can do that . It is so hard to be so focused on the fact of how good you are and never admit that you have failed. Having said all that, that is not really who I am. I know my self-esteem has been worn away by some people in the past, and my self-confidence is not very high but I don't think I would ever want to be so arrogant that I felt I was always right and never wrong. I know that I, like many are, am effected by my emotions. That was one of the many reasons I was overweight, I ate when I was sad, unhappy, angry, stressed, etc. etc., but I have hopefully learnt to deal with things in a different way. It wasn't just emotions that made me overweight but they didn't help. You really need to look at all aspects of your situation to put it right. There are many who would like to change something that they don't like about themselves but then feel it is too hard to do it. Some manage to be happy with who they are and actually start to celebrate it, but many are always unhappy. They would like things to be different, but can't, or won't, put in the work to change it. I remember a doctor saying to me, when I had gone to him about being unhappy in my first marriage, that you either do something about it, or put up with it. Now that is so true, and easy for him to say, but finding a way to do that wasn't easy. With no outside support or obvious way, it took me years to be able to do something, but eventually I did. The solution to something can be hard to find, but if you really want something, you will find it. You still have to cope with all the different feelings and emotions along the way. Even when you have got there, those moments of weakness will still always be around and you have to know how to cope and how to pick yourself up. It comes down to you and you alone.

I feel a liitle bit like this today, really for no other reason than the fact that my pre-operation assessment had to be cancelled. It is a disappointment, but not the end of the world. It will still happen, just not today. What I am pleased about is that the fact that knowing I was going to this assessment didn't stop me from having a lovely day out on Saturday and eating lots of lovely food. A few years ago I would have been really afraid of eating before I was going to get weighed because I was so obsessed about food. Such a small issue really when many in the world have to cope with so much trauma, stress and loss, but to me it was so, so, real. Having to control myself because I might fail. In the past if I failed I might have had to cope with some kind of abuse, but I don't now. I now know that failing is not going to result in anything that bad. I am able to pick myself up and try again. I know I have to be a certain weight to have this operation, but a couple of extra pounds are not going to change things. I shouldn't have to feel this way and, as I have said, it is a small struggle to have, compared to what others have to cope with. I will always be aware of this. When coping with how I feel, my feelings are personal to me. Working towards a goal and trying to reach it can be hard work, but the satisfaction it can bring is so worth it. |Being able to change the way we think and live our lives can bring so much joy, but we must never lose perspective on this. We can not always be perfect. We may never completely get what it is we want, but we should never forget how far we have come or how much we have done. We don't always have to be complete winners, there is nothing wrong with second place. Perhaps so many issues would not arise if we were taught this from an early age. As long as we are truly aware of what we have achieved and are proud of ourselves at that level, then everything else is a bonus.

I was disappointed that my assessment was postponed and I did feel like eating comfort food, but I didn't. Even if I had, it wouldn't really matter. It's coping with a situation, no matter how small, that counts. It will happen, and I still have lost seven and a half stones. That achievement is mine, and no one can ever take that away from me, but me. It had to be done, I did it, and one day I will learn to be proud of myself. For now I will take the feelings and deal with them in the best way that I can. I am sure there are many downs – and ups – still to come.

All for now, until next time,

Love, Jackie

xx

I CAN HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT (IF I AM CAREFUL)

 

8^th July, 2021,

Way back in 2014 when I first started writing my blog, it was to document the great effort it takes to lose a lot of weight.

Now, seven years later, and almost at the end of my second weight loss journey, I know it is not just losing the weight, but also learning to keep it off. There is so much more information out there with the many, many different diet plans you can take part in, but not so much information about what happens next, the “maintenance”. Apart from the individual person themselves, there is not a lot for others to gain from a weight maintenance plan. This may be because a health professional feels you should lose weight, or because an industry that makes so much money needs people to always need to lose weight, not keep it off.

So much has been said, is said, and will be said, about diets failing- and diets can and do fail – but not much is said or learnt about keeping the weight off. Keeping weight off involves far more than what you eat. There are habits and emotions involved before you even get on to the subject of actually loving food and wanting to eat all those things we are told we shouldn't and lots and lots of it. Let's not even start to think about all the calories we drink (I will come back to that later).

I have always loved food, as a lot of us do, but as the years went by, I realised how much I loved good food. There is a difference between food and good food, but it's not always in the way we might think. I trained in catering and housekeeping when I first left school and have worked in industrial kitchens, but I didn't choose to go into this as a long term career. Housekeeping was so much slower and not as pressured, and it tended not to put you off eating as working in a hot and fast kitchen environment can. You still got to eat nice food through your working day, though. Training in food preparation fired my love of different foods and this, alongside my travelling a little bit, kept me interested in all the different kinds of food that are out there. It's only in recent years though, that I have started to appreciate the taste of really lovely food rather than just eating as much as I could as quickly as I could just to satisfy a need.

Since losing weight over these last two years, I have really started to want to get value for the amount of calories I need to limit myself to in order to lose weight in a sensible way. It's a bit like going shopping with a set amount of money in your purse and no bank or credit cards with you. You can only spend what you have, and you want to get the best value and amount for that allowance. You learn, and then remember how many calories are in each food and you also begin to really, really taste and enjoy the smaller amount of food you eat. As they say what really matters is quality not quantity. Those foods that you can't see the calorific content for, can easily now be looked up online, and many packets and tins will have the calorie content displayed on the side. Calorie counting also means, for me, that I can have an occasional “treat” and fit it into my allowance and I have certainly found that this has worked well for me, just before lockdown, during lockdown and up to just recently. Then, of course, I went away! I was away for eight days and I must admit I did wonder how I would be, a little afraid I would mess up with eating, but I think I have done okay. To be fair I was with my family and they all know I am very careful with what I eat. However, I did eat out a couple of times, had tea and cake with my family for my grandson's birthday, had to sort out the food for while I was travelling down South and then back again, and, of course, tried the food choices for my son and future daughter-in-law's wedding. None of it caused me any real problems as to the number of calories I was eating. Now, obviously I knew I had eaten too many calories to achieve any weight loss, but I was able to maintain my weight until I got home. Which just goes to show that it can be done. The food for the wedding was absolutely beautiful. It looked and tasted so lovely, and I was proud to be there with my son, his fiancée and her parents, especially after the past year or so that we have had. It brings the wedding so much closer now, after having had to change the wedding date twice because of lockdown. Exciting times to come!

Do you know, I even went from the sublime of the wedding food to the ridiculous of eating my first McDonalds in this country in six years! :-) I will say no more about that, except that I really didn't have a lot of choice, however I actually did quite enjoy it. :-)

So, I went away and came back and my weight was still round about the same, which I must admit did surprise me a little, but as I said before it shows it can be done.

I came back home to Yorkshire on the Thursday evening, and then on Friday I got the call about going in for my pre hip operation assessment. Part of this will involve me being weighed and having my B.M.I. worked out to see if I am still elegible for the procedure. Of course, I still am, but it brought back all my fears and concerns. Yes, I know it seems daft, but emotions can be incredibly strong, especially when you are already nervous about going into hospital. Oh well. It's happened and I will go in next week, but before that I will have had my birthday weekend. Going out on the Saturday and Sunday with special meals planned for both days. I will still been sensible, I know how to adjust my food intake and I'm sure all will be well. There is still a slight concern about the iron levels in my blood, but hopefully it will not affect things too much.

Before I finish, I did mention calories in drinks. This is so easy to forget as drink goes down so easily. I gave up alcohol when I started to restrict my calories as it was so important to use my allowance on good, nutritious food. I can't exercise easily, so my allowance is less because of this. It is so easy to have any drink and not think about what it contains. When I was out for a meal on my birthday, I happened to look across at the next table and saw the lady sitting there had this wonderful looking drink in front of her with whipped cream on top. The couple had only just arrived and I assumed that it was some kind of cocktail. I took the chance to ask her and it turned out to be a milkshake. It did look quite pretty but, no, it wasn't for me, especially as the meal was an all you can eat. I would have been full before I even started eating, the result of a much smaller stomach now. It was a wonderful meal and so lovely to finally be able to go out and celebrate. Now the celebrations are over I have to concentrate on getting through my assessment, seeing the specialist and then hopefully finally having my first operation at the end of August. I am sure I will be writing about this soon.

Until next time,

Love, Jackie

xxx

NICE TO KNOW WHEN OTHERS THINK THE SAME

 

1^st July, 2021

I have spoken in past blogs about the times I watch Youtube. It fills the time when I am not feeling well enough to do other things or when I am awake and can't sleep because of the pain I am in. It's not a waste of time because I learn so much and it also enables me to hear the opinions of people I would never meet. I love meeting new people and I do talk to a lot of people when I am out and about, but on those occasions that I can't get out at least I can watch “ordinary” people. You can choose the subjects that interest you and you may hear things you might not hear otherwise. On one I watched recently, a lady who used to be a consultant for a slimming club explained that she had left and why. It was so interesting for a number of reasons. She had actually been involved with two well known slimming clubs in the past, and been a consultant and run clubs for both of them. She had lost some weight as a member with the last club over a few years, and then progressed into training and running her own club. She had followed her training and run the clubs within the rules, doing exactly what slimming consultants do. Talking about the specific plan, weighing people each week, asking them want went wrong if they didn't lose the weight they needed to, telling people “off” if needed, doing the group talks, etc. Those of us that have been to these clubs know what it is like. Then for some reason during the start of the first lock down in the U.K. around March 2020, she started, for whatever reason, to question her training, the eating plan and how she felt, as far as I understand. She then went on to do an independent nutrition course and started to view things in a completely different way. She looked at what she was eating each day from the plan of this particular group and worked out the total calories of the complete days eating plan and found she was well above the total calorie allowance to enable her to lose weight.

It began to dawn on her that the plan that may have worked for some had some major flaws. She said she knew that some were happy with the plan and it had worked for them, however it hadn't worked out for her in the end, or for so many other of the people that had attended her classes. She had begun to realise that people could stay within the plan and not lose weight, or even put it on because, unknown to them, they were taking in too many calories. She had made the great realisation that weight loss is down to the amount of calories in being less than calories out. She said there was nothing wrong with whatever “diet” you choose but without knowing you calorie intake it may not give you the results you are after.

She also said, if I remember correctly, that she had been trained to use The Plan and that calorie counting was not needed, but she now knew that wasn't quite right. She left being a consultant, counted what calories she was eating and lost a good amount of weight. In another video she apologised to her past club members for how she had been and how she had treated them. She said she had followed her training but now knew she was wrong. She had not really thought about it while running her club, just said and did what her training told her to do. She said she was sorry for how she had made people feel when they hadn't lost weight even when they said they had followed The Plan. She also said that she felt the public weighing and then the public announcements of weight loss and gain was wrong, not considering people's feelings at the time. All this because she learnt about calories through doing that independent course.

When you train with a club they will train you about their plan. She now realised that didn't always work and why, and I think she then went on to have her own clients independently, I suppose to continue to still make a living, but I am not completely sure.

Now, this is what I think about all this. I know that slimming clubs have not worked for me for many reasons, and I have tried quite a few. It is as far as I remember a written out plan for you to follow, and this indeed can work for many who think that a plan telling you what to eat is easy.

It can be, but for me because they want you to do the plan and not count calories and you have to follow The Plan, perhaps without any knowledge of calories, there is plenty of room to fail and not achieve your results. There is also no flexibility if you are wanting to eat something off plan. It is not good at all to eat junk food all the time, but at least knowing something about calories can give you a certain amount of flexibility. You can not live on a plan all of your life, well not in my experience, you need to find a way that will work for you, and you alone.

I am trained in catering and in beauty therapy and I do know about food. I have a level two Health and Nutrition certificate and have “dieted” for many years. I do know what calories most foods contain so I stood a good chance of working out how many calories I needed to lose weight to lose weight slowly, and what was in the food I chose to eat. Saying this, all the information is on the internet should anyone wish to research it.

All this lady was saying, and what I have been saying, is that a standard plan does not work for everyone. To be completely honest, a lot of plans are not designed to work long term, after all it is an industry for making money in my opinion. As this lady said, if it works for you, good play, but do not be afraid to look at what you are doing if you find it is not working out for you.

The science says less calories in than calories out and you will lose weight, it is as simple as that, but if you know what you are eating then that little bit of extra knowledge can help a lot.

Watching this lady and listening to what she said helped me confirm that what I believe is right. I had worked out why I didn't to do a club plan and I was right. So many have said the same thing, which must mean something. Just seeing someone that had totally believed her training was right suddenly realise it wasn't, and how it had affected people was quite thought provoking. As I always say, always question things and don't trust completely what you are told. Always take a good look at the evidence that backs it up. What you see and are told may not always add up to a true and complete picture. Do what is right for you.

Until next time,

Love, Jackie

xx