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 4th
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