One of the main issues I see when our members are trying to lose weight, is they over-complicate it.
The basic rules will always apply:
1. Reduce the amount of calories you eat and don’t be silly about it.
2. Move when possible and at an intensity level that you feel like you’re working.
3. Be patient.
Pre-kids, we didn’t tend to focus on calories with our members. However, when you’re predominantly eating fresh food cooked from scratch and focusing on vegetables, a bit of meat and some carbs if required; the calories tend to look after themselves.
I personally hated the idea of tracking calories, weighing and measuring seemed a bit unnecessary.
Pre-kids, I was a lot more active, time in the kitchen wasn’t an issue and I slept through the night without disturbances. If I was tired I could have an afternoon nap.
Being tired was the main reason I think I gained weight when our kids moved in. We were both exhausted and were making poor choices, grabbing snacks as we yawned our way through the day.
Sleep isn’t much better after nearly 4 years; which is why I needed to change my strategy.
I started tracking calories consistently at the start of the year when I weighed close to 100kg. I’m currently at around 90kg, still some work to do but I’m getting there.
Consistently tracking is the key, not just the good days.
I have bad days.
If I go over, I don’t get stressed about it. It’s total over the weeks and months that is more important.
There are a few things that I changed that from a weeks, months and years point of view make a big difference.
When I go to the shop for a treat I’ve switch a couple of things that save me a couple of hundred calories.
French fries crisps save 100 over a standard pack, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on crunchy textures and love the Worcester sauce ones. The kids used to find them spicy and I could enjoy the pack, sadly no longer the case 🙂
I’ve gone old school, I have a curly wurly when I go for chocolate, again at least 100kcals saved and I prefer chewy things.
If you have a bar of chocolate or pack of crisps every day, a simple change can save you close to 10lbs of weight per year.
The key is to find versions that taste good and you enjoy. Not picking one of the rubbish diet brands that claim to be low fat and taste like cardboard but are pretty much the same calories.
Darren ‘Curly Wurly Club member’ Checkley
