Weight Loss - The Crusty Way

Some moths ago the medics declared I was dangerously overweight. Like many people in such circumstances I was in denial. It was only the threat of becoming diabetic that brought me to my senses.

I'm 184 cm in height and weighed in at 109 kg. According to NHS weight calculator I was off the scale at the red end. A combination of diet exercise and the discipline of being weighed at my doctor's surgery every two weeks resulted in me now being only 87 kg which is still overweight according to the NHS weight calculator but only just.

1. Diet
>>WARNING<< This diet worked for me but it may not be suitable for everyone, especially if you have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, so do check with your doctor before embarking on this diet.

Food falls into three categories.

1.1 Eat as much as you like:
Vegetables ( except potatoes)
Nuts
Pulses
Fruit
Eggs
Turkey

1.2. Restricted
Dairy products  - a matchbox size  piece of cheese  is the daily limit
Margarine/butter - use polyunsaturated spreads
Oil - use cold pressed rape seed oil
Fish/sea food - steamed or grilled (not fried)
Bread -  wholemeal - 2 slices a day
Pasta - wholemeal - 20z per day
Rice - one tablespoon full a day
Cereal - avoid wheat based breakfast cereal, use oats
Meat - low fat meats such as chicken in small portions, avoid red meats.
Potatoes - two egg size potatoes a day
Yogurt - use low fat versions


1.3. BANNED
Processed foods - especially crisps
Cakes and biscuits
Chocolate and sweets

1.4. Drink
Water- lots of it, we don't drink enough.
Fruit juice - one cup full of any on fruit per day, however you can consume more by varying the fruits i.e. one cup of apple juice, one cup of orange juice, one cup of cranberry juice.
Milk - skimmed
Tea and Coffee - as much as you like provided you don't adulterate it with milk.
Booze - no alcohol

1.5 When to Eat
Eat from 6am to 6pm, but then give the body 12 hours to process what you have consumed. Always feel a bit hungry after meals. If you have sated your hunger you have eaten too much.

2. Exercise

2.1 I was invited to attend the gym once a week but declined, not my scene. It was then suggested I go to the swimming pool one a week. This to held no attraction for me. However I do walk. At the start  I was walking around 3 km per day at 3 m.p.h. Now its more like  7 km per day at 4 m.p.h. Don't over do the exercise. Do it every day and as you loose weight you will find it easier to do more. At the end of your walk you should just feel a bit sweaty.

3. Discipline

3.1 The discipline of being weighed regularly by another person on fixed dates (usually fortnightly) gives you an objective. Weigh yourself each day  and write it down, likewise keep a note of the  amount of exercise you have taken that day , my case the number of km walked. Your weight will fluctuate, loss does not happen In a straight line. If you loose 1 kg in 2 weeks that's fine. If you loose weight quickly you will have to fight off urges to binge on food, bad news.

3.2 The occasional lapse is human, and you  can recover  with this programme by a combination of less food and more exercise.

Afterwards you will find yourself not only lighter but fitter. Recently I walked up to the Cow and Calf rocks above Ilkley without noticing the climb at all. I would have been puffing and panting doing that a year ago.
Good luck, you will need it.