FAT.

How did we get so fat? How did I get so fat? Yeah, I'm using the “Fat” word. I don't like it much either but it is the no excuses, truth. Over the years I have heard people use all kinds of excuses. One of the best is “I’m not fat, I'm just big boned” Well actually I'm small boned so can't get away with that one. I know this because my wrists are little, my ankles are little, my pelvis is little, you would know that too if you could only see my pelvic bones! They are currently well hidden.

Actually, I have medical evidence that my pelvis is small as it was measured when I was expecting my first baby. They feared that he may get stuck. In the event it was a difficult birth but not because of a small pelvis. At least I don’t think so. I did go on to deliver my 4^th baby, a 9 pounder, quickly and easily at home, small pelvis not withstanding.

Anyway, I was thinking about this yesterday and wondering just how I got to be fat. You know a lot of jobs don't help. I worked for years in an office. Very sedentary, sitting on my bum. Then I had the children and that is pretty good, you do a fair bit of chasing around.

After the children, I did what a lot of women do and worked in a shop. Now you would think that might help, after all you are on your feet all day. However, you are mostly just standing. Standing upright without movement doesn't help. Not to mention there are tea breaks where you reward yourself for this crappy work with a chocolate bar or 3. At least I did.

Now, I am at home. I have been at home for quite some years now. I do the housework in the mornings and yeah, I guess it burns a few calories but not as many as you might think. Then I sit. I sew, read, do internet stuff, knit, family history research, run an Etsy shop, sew some more. Do you see a pattern? They are all things which you do sitting on that fat bum.

Back in the middle of January this year. I took a strange fit in my head to stand on my bathroom scales. Hadn’t done that in goodness knows how long. I had the shock of my life. I am totally embarrassed to tell you the needle pointed to 12st 13lbs. I wasn't aware that I was that heavy.

Don't misunderstand that last sentence. I know I am overweight, yes even fat, but I just didn’t know it was that bad. I'm not one of those women that looks in the mirror and hates myself. I don’t scrub up too bad (at least I don't think so) and whilst I may look bigger than I should, I have never thought I look huge. Maybe I am just wearing rose tinted glasses.

My knees play up from time to time and I am very well aware that my weight is an issue in that respect.

Going back to that day in January, to say I was shocked is an understatement. The heaviest I have ever known myself to be is about 11 and a half stone. 12st 13lbs was hard to even compute. Brain was saying “NOOOOOOOO”!

Once the shock had registered I knew that it was finally time to take myself in hand and get serious. I decided there and then that I would get this sorted and when I set my mind to something, I follow it through. Ask Simon!

Since then, 11 weeks ago to be precise, I have lost nearly 1 and a half stone. I now weigh 11st 7lbs. Still a long way to go but I am rather pleased with myself. So how did I do it? Well I don't have any big revelations for you. There is no secret here. I have always known how to do it and so do you. You eat less and move more. Simple.

So am I on a diet? No. I don't believe in diets. Certainly not fads. I am eating less which means, I am watching portion sizes and I am making much more careful choices about what goes in my mouth. Portion sizes are a biggy. (No pun intended). It is very easy to pile a plate high and to tuck in. Do you know what a portion should look like? It is way, way smaller, than you are currently eating. I guarantee it. I'm not going to educate you here, if you want to know, look it up. You'll be surprised.

So, I am eating (and drinking) what I want. Smaller portions yes, but nothing is restricted as it would be on a diet. I still have my glass of red stuff on a Friday evening and if we go out, I may have a couple of glasses of red stuff. A piece of cake at the grandsons birthday party? No problem. I am not missing out on that! The difference is that it is now a small slither of cake rather than a chunk. Enough to enjoy and savour without feeling bloated.

I have an App where I log my food and it counts the calories for me. This isn’t as arduous as it sounds as it has a database and with each item logged it gets easier and easier as regular foods are already there and just one click. The App syncs with my Fitbit so over the day it is constantly assessing the amount I have eaten and the amount I have burnt. More on that later.

Now to the second part of successfully loosing weight. Moving more. Yes, you do have to move. Properly move. Remember that simply standing upright, whilst it might burn a few calories, doesn't really count. I have never been a person who is into sports or exercise. Jumping around to some fast beat, modern music in a room full of lots of sweaty women is never going to be for me. I mean why, would you put yourself through that?

So, how do you get more exercise then? Well for me, it has been walking. Yes, simple as that. Walking. Every hour, I make sure that I take time out and I walk. I don't "go" for a walk, I just walk here at home. It's easy. Walk around the house and up and down the garden. I also do a You Tube, “walk at home” video once a day. Sometimes twice. In 15 minutes you can walk a mile in your own living room! It might not work for you but it does for me. **

I walk Beanie twice a day. This is something I haven't had for years as our poor old doggies were not able to walk. Loulou didn't even go more than half way up the garden by the end.

Something else that has worked for me is the purchase of my Fitbit Charge. It is one of those new fangled fitness watch thingys that you wear on your wrist. I LOVE it.

Yes they are expensive and yes I know you can get free Apps that do pretty much the same thing. But this works for me and what price on your health? The free Apps rely on you carrying your mobile (cell) on you at all times. Well I don't. The Fitbit is there because it is on my wrist like a watch. (It tells the time too). I like the convenience of just a quick glance at my wrist to see how I am doing. Don't have to faff around getting a phone out.

The Fitbit Charge, measures, steps, distance, calories burned, stairs climbed and sleep. I have found that it really motivates me. They say (Just who are they?) that for health alone we should all be walking 10,000 steps a day. When I got my Fitbit and wore it for the first day, I did nothing extra as I wanted to see what a normal day was for me. Another shocker......3,300. Not good.

I have built that up over the last few months and it is now very rare that I don't get my 10,000 steps. Mostly I am more than that. I think my daily average is around 12,000.

The thing that really helps me is what I touched on earlier, the way the Fitbit constantly monitors energy burned against energy intake. So, when you get your Fitbit, assuming you want to lose weight, you tell it what you weigh now, what your target weight is and what intensity you want to work at. So kind of how quickly you want to lose weight.

I am on the moderate intensity which assumes a weight loss of a maximum amount of 2lbs per week. The Fitbit has worked out that on the moderate intensity plan that means I need a deficit of around 500 calories per day. IE, I need to burn 500 more calories of energy per day than I am taking in.

Now for the bit that I like....... Over the day I log what I have eaten. (calories / energy in), the Fitbit is constantly measuring my energy burned. (calories used). It then readjusts throughout the day to try to keep me on track for that 500 difference. So in just a quick glance at my wrist I know if I need to move more or eat less!

Basically if you start the day with let's say 1200 calories and as the day progresses you are sitting around doing nothing you will see that calorie allowance drop. However, if by let's say lunch time, you have already walked the equivalent of 3 miles then that 1200 allowance will have increased. The Fitbit gets better at knowing how many calories to give you each day the more you use it; as it looks at previous days energy burned and energy in to predict the current day.

For me, this is a great help because I can see at a glance how I am doing. If I know we are going out in the evening and I know, that I will be eating more than normal, then I make sure that I get more walking done until I can see that I have enough calories left to cover it and yet still be within that magic 500 difference.

OK, I think I have gone on long enough. Just wanted to let you all know that I am pleased with the way things are going so far. I appreciate that we all have different ways of doing things and this is mine. It is working for me so far.

Remember if you need to lose weight there is no magic formula. You simply eat less and move more. Energy intake versus energy output.

Forgot to say that the Fitbit App also allows you to measure other exercise types such as swimming, yoga etc...

I definitely love the motivation that my Fitbit has given me. In answer to a question I was asked recently.....No, I do not have shares in the company. Kind of wish that I did.

** If you want to walk a mile at home try this. She also has lots of other videos and there are a gazillion more to be found on YouTube.

http://tinyurl.com/o4q94tm

Jilly