22nd 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
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