Diet and Fitness

Like a lot of you I am beginning my diet and fitness regime today.  I am fed up of eating rubbish and feeling fat!  Although I won't be feeling like this in a week or so and will be craving chocolate!!!

I've weighed myself but I do find that the scales are not always a friend to me.  They never say what I want to hear.  People will tell me I've lost weight but the scales don't necessarily agree.  I think I build muscle fairly quickly and as we all know muscle weighs heavier than fat but takes up less space.  With this in mind I have also taken my measurements: bust, waist, hips, thigh, calf and upper arm.  Hopefully this will give me a truer reflection of what's going on.

I'm not completely ready for my new regime as I haven't yet cleaned out the fridge and cupboards to get rid of all temptations.  I haven't been to the supermarket to do a healthy shop.  I haven't signed up to a gym.  But I do intend to eat sensibly and to exercise and within the next few days address all the above tasks.

I bought a running magazine which gives you an exercise plan to lose body fat.  I have thought for some time that running - even three or four times a week - is not enough if you always run at the same pace.  The plan supports this.  Sometimes its ok to do this but sometimes you need to do quick sprints for short bursts and then recover and do it again and again . . .  Also you need to do strength training.

I'm adapting this plan to work for me.  I want to use the strength training to tighten my core (which should give me a flatter stomach), bum and arms.  I also want to do some swimming because that works well on the stomach.  Alongside this I intend to ride a couple of times a week and walk the dog 4 times a week.

I'm not going on one of these diets where you only eat nutritious shakes and lettuce leaves or cabbage soup.  I have an app on my phone called Livestrong where you can track everything you eat.  I find it's the best way.  Otherwise you conveniently forget that mid morning cereal bar you had, etc.  If you create a profile where you input your age, sex, height, weight and how many pounds you want to lose a week it works out how many calories you are allowed each day.  So you just have to enter everything you eat and it tells you how many calories you have used and how many you have left.  You can also track your exercise and how many calories you have burned.

I think it's important to allow yourself the odd day off from your diet too.  So, for example, if I'm going to a girlie supper I will have pudding and wine but then the next day get straight back to being good again.  That way it's not so hard.  You don't feel like you are denying yourself all your favourite things.  The hardest thing is when Rich has wine with dinner.  Nothing looks as good as a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc!!!


I hope to reach my target weight by the end of February.