h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Ben,
Amazed to read about your grand tour - sounds fantastic I thought you had decided to spend a little more time at home

Anyway, I just popped in to see if you have got anywhere with your intended agcb-reduction programme? We are five weeks into the new year and you were aiming at a lb a week - so have you got started yet?

*friendly nag* You were looking at introducing a little gentle exercise into your life - signed up to anything yet?


k

Well, the airports call me...! This will be fun, though, and nary a progress meeting in sight.

I am doing reasonably well - 6lbs lost so far, through food combining and eating loads of vegetable soup, loads of salad, and no puds! I joined a gym, and it is even in walking distance, but I have only been twice. (Hides head in shame).

But 6lbs puts me on track. Unfortunately I am in London for a week this month, and I put back a couple of lbs last time I was there. I will have to buy loads of carrots and celery and keep the flapjacks to a minumum this time.

How about you? Jobs, and love, and life and things going well or stuck in the winter doldrums?



Ben

Well, 6lb is a great start, I hope you are feeling proud of yourself! Lots of people *say* they will do something about their weight and never really get going - but you did! Well done!

It sounds like you are not finding it too difficult either, which is good because that means you'll be able to sustain it. How are you going about your food combining? That is something I haven't really tried, how does it work?

Your reply has told me the area where you might need some, erm, extra persuasion - getting to the gym...

Don't hang your head in shame for only having gone twice, feel good that you have joined, and feel good that the two sessions you have had have contributed to your 6 lb loss so far. Try not to think of going as a chore, but think of it as an extra boost to make your diet easier. We aren't aiming for dramatically fast weight loss here, that would be silly long term, but if you try and do some exercise at least once a week then it'll make hitting the target of 1 lb a week that little bit more likely - plus you really will feel better in yourself. In fact that has been the biggest revelation to me through all this - exercise makes you feel good!

Having said all that, my own diet hit a bit of a rough patch this winter. I went on holiday for two weeks in Dec. then we had christmas, then I started a new job and caught a horrible cold in early Jan so I had about 6 weeks where I did no exercise and didn't limit what I ate at all. The result was 6 lb back on - but now I am getting back into my good routines it is coming off again. Only 4lb to go to get back to where I was The trick is to not get too disheartened when this happens - it will happen. If you end up putting a lb or two back on in London then it isn't the end of the world, and doesn't mean it is time to stop trying.

The new job is making dieting difficult, it is a permanent role with the company who's software I specialised in implementing when I was contracting. It is a bit different though, I am a technical instructor - always fancied giving teaching a go so when I was approached about it I jumped at the chance. I think the fact that I lost weight last year, although I have still got about 3 stone to go, meant that I didn't feel I should hide myself away - I can stand up in front of a room full of people and have them look at me. I couldn't have done this a year ago.

I took my first class on Monday and it seems to have gone well so am keen to get stuck in. Trouble is the endless supply of biscuits, cakes, breakfasts, and sweets that the company supplies to its staff all the time - it is stretching my will power to breaking point! I'll get used to it in time, but for now I am succumbing to the charms of the jammy dodger a bit too often.

Anyway - this is turning into an essay! I'll come back and tell you about the other stuff going on in my life a bit later - I'm having an eventful time.


k

Good to know things are going well. Teaching is very rewarding. I am in haste at the moment. I will tell you about food-combining, and I may rattle it up into an entry too. Tell me more about what is happening with you soon!

B

I've been meaning to come and ask for *ages* how you are getting on with the downsizing, is food combining still working for you?

Have you managed to fit some extra activity into your life, or are you paying for a gym you still don't use? *wags finger in slightly nagging manner*

As you can see from my nickname, things are finally going my way again. There is still an outside change that I'll be small enough for a nice summer dress when summer rolls around, although I really think the Italian cuisine might put paid to that little plan. So long as I don't get any bigger it will be ok - I'll get there in the end and if it means I have to have a winter sun holiday to show off my new figure then so be it!

Only another 9 lb or so to go before I change my name, when I reach 12 st 10 lb I will no longer have a BMI classed as obese (ie 30-40), I will merely be overweight (25-30). That seems like an appropriate point to drop the 'fat' and replace it with 'plump'. Considering I started this at morbidly obese (I was 42) I think things are going well

I've been talking to another researcher that has just started a medically supervised food replacement diet - he waited until he was middle aged and had a heart attack before doing something about his body. So now he has 480 calories worth of gloop to drink every day and that is it. I hope that spurs you on to keep going with the diet plan now while you are young (ok -ish) and healthy, it does me. It makes me appreciate that I can still make choices about what I eat.

Hope it is still going in the right direction for you,
k

It is wobbling around 12lbs. I started of at *ahem* stone 6, and am now *ahem -1* stone 8. I will be delighted when I shift those next two pounds. I am not gymming at the moment, and I have lost my appetite which is a mixed blessing. I get hungry, my blood sugar drops, but I simply don't fancy anything to eat. This would be fine, but because I cannot face cooking I end up eating junk. And I am spotty from Easter Eggs...

But 12lbs is 12lbs. I can wear clothes which I have not been able to wear for a while. I look much better, and feel much better, and I am almost a third of a weigh there. I was 3 stone 1lb over my Weight Watchers goal weight, and that in turn is about 5lbs over what I would dearly love to weigh. I am aiming at those 3 stone though.

Thanks for the nudge. And thanks for the vote of confidence in the "why I am proud" thread.

And now - as you can probably tell - I am rather spacy and should go to bed.

B

I see you've turned evangelical now It is like a disease I am trying to spread - I'll get everyone on here doing some extra exercise if I can, and am getting more converts as time goes on...

I was going to post this on the 'reasons to lose weight' thread but decided not to drag things too far off topic:

Do you have any links for decent info on food combining? I have found some stuff on the net but basically it sounds impossible! I am doing well enough on the eat-less-food-do-more-exercise method, and no longer eat anything over 5% fat (if I can help it) which is a lot easier than it sounds. The sites I have seen for food combining suggest that you can eat carbs and veg (of the high water content variety), or protein and veg, or fruit. Fats were to be excluded where possible.

An example of it being impossible, this means that I couldn't have one of my favourite low fat, lowish calorie, filling and tasty meals - cous cous (carbs), with spiced tomato (veg) and chick peas (protein). It's one of my faves because it is so easy, empty tin of chopped tomato into jug, empty small tin of chick peas into the same jug, dump in a variety of spices and some chilli. Nuke for 3 mins. Put cous cous in a bowl, pour liquid off of tomato goo onto cous cous - topping up with boiling water if needed. Leave it for a couple of minutes while you nuke the toms for a bit longer then combine and eat There is no added fat in this at all but it still seems to be forbidden by the combining rules.

I also couldn't have any of the (well balanced) diet ready meals I rely on when I am teaching and don't have the time or energy for shopping and cooking. I don't think I could stick to grilled chicken and salad, or grilled fish and steamed veg - I do love my carbs, but they usually need something else to make them interesting. So basically I try to make each meal balanced - the antithesis of food combining.

I'd love to hear your take on it - for example what sort of things do you actually eat?

There seem to be two different schools of food combining: Montignac and Hay. The Montingnac method is designed to be a healthy way of losing weight, and the Hay Diet is designed to be a healthy way of eating.

With the Montingnac method you cut out white bread, potatoes, sweetcorn, sugar and other very processed starches, and only eat unprocessed starches like brown rice, oats, wholemeal bread, and so on. He gives details in his books.

Then you never eat carbs and fat together; so no coleslaw (carrot and mayo), and no bread and butter. The meal you described is low in fat, so it would be fine. You can eat carb with low-fat protein; so tuna (in spring water) with rice and a fat-free sauce would be fine, or toast with cottage cheese, (which is one of his breakfast suggestions). OR you can eat protein and fat, so steak and veg, but no chips is also fine. The toughie is of course no puddings, (though he has a divine recipe for chocolate mousse in one of his books).

The books are excellent, and there are several, but there is only any need to buy one, because he explains it all in detail in each one.

The Montignac method has two stages, weight loss and maintenance, and with its focus on good food well prepared it is a great way of ensuring healthy eating.

http://www.montignac-intl.com/eng/index_en.htm


The Hay Diet is the method which separates protein and carb, and you can eat fat with either. It is NOT a weight loss programmme though, and this is probably where you are getting confused. It IS however a very healthy way of eating.

The Atkins Diet, from what I can work out, works because you don't mix fat and carb by the simple expedient of not eating any carb at all. I am deeply suspicious of the Atkins Diet.

I would recommend any of the Montignac books, particularly the one which is specifically for women.

I make normal vegetable sauces by frying in water instead of oil, which works surprisingly well with decent spices. So I will make a tomato sauce by chopping and water-frying onions and peppers, adding a tin of toms and some chopped kenyan beans. (Peas and carrots are both carbs, of course, and you can therefore eat them with rice but not steak). I may pour the sauce over pasta or rice, or add in chicken or tuna. With the tuna you can eat it with pasta or rice, but not chicken and pasta or rice.

The hard bit is getting enough carbs, and sandwiches are almost impossible. It helps if you like museli (with fruit juice or skimmed milk), porridge, and of course toast and cottage cheese. The recipe books are full of suitable protein meals but the carb main meals are much scarecer.

His first book was about business meals and is called "Eat out and Lose Weight" or "Eat out and grow Slim" - which might be useful instead of the "For Women" book when you go to Rome.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on.

Ben
Officially a stone lighter than in January!!!

"Officially a stone lighter than in January!!!" Well done! And swimming too - that is good. You said in that other thread that at your biggest you didn't feel any fatter than you did when you were three stone lighter - that is such an easy trap to fall in. You really don't notice the weight going on. But I bet you feel less fat now than you did four months ago Hang on to that feeling, and even if you never lose another lb, make sure you don't gain any either...

I too am deeply suspicious of the Atikins diet - particularly as it was portrayed on the tv diet thing recently. I do not believe it can be healthy to eat lots of cheese, red meat, eggs etc. Your cholesterol levels would shoot up! It doesn't sound like a good long-term solution.

The Montignac method sounds doable, I'd have to switch to having rice with some things instead of boiled potato, but that is ok. As I hardly eat any fat any more most of my current diet would probably fit it. I did try an Atkins-like diet briefly and it didn't suit me at all, I found I was really craving rice. It was most odd.

My Rome trip has been postponed for a month or so (dithering client) which I was quite disappointed about, but then I realised that it means I get extra time to concentrate on the diet before I hit the sunshine. It also means I have a good chance of shedding another stone before a summer ball I am going to - so better chance of finding a gorgeous dress

Right! Off to the gym now, with maybe a browse round the cooking section of waterstones on the way...

Oh dear, I haven't been terribly regular in my gentle encouragements have I?

So how is it going? Still aiming for a 1 lb a week decrease or is wining and dining with your Private Life getting in the way at all?

Are you working at the moment? At home or off somewhere exotic?

I'm back from Rome now (thank goodness), it was the assignment from hell. There are going to be some changes around here for new software/hardware releases I can tell you! I was stranded in a foreign country trying to teach but having nothing work. It was awful, I won't be letting them humiliate me again like that in a hurry... Apart from that, Rome itself was lovely - did all the touristy things and plenty of hanging out and sunbathing. Chucked my coin in the trevi fountain so maybe I'll get to go back...

The diet stuttered rather badly while I was out there - I am afraid there was a fair amount of misery eating Still, been back a couple of weeks and have shed the extra I had put on so still optimistic that I might one day be a size 14.

Housey plans are coming on - have sold my flat and found a place to move to so we are just grinding through the (painfully slow) legal processes now can't wait!

Hope you're doing ok,

k

Ok, but not great.

I was thinking of telling you where I am with the size-reduction programme today. I have lost a total of a stone since the beginning of the year: the Private Life doesn't help, bless him. He needs to loose weight too, but tends to snack on almonds, raisins and crisps...

However, I have now lost all the weight that I put back on, and can get back into the two pairs of jeans I had bought a couple of months ago, so I am pleased with that.

Job-wise - da nada, though I do have an interview for a one year contract next week. The rate is poor, but on the other hand it would give me stability, and the job itself it is a job to kill for, with a classy national (though not international) organisation. The skills would however be transferrable internationally, so that is cool. I have been thinking for a while that a career-style move into permiedom might be wise at my age.

I am temping, in order to stop myself staring at the walls and going loopie-doo, and to pay for rum and cigs, and the temping is fine, but not particularly challenging.

My private life is intermittantly wonderful, but currently hard. A bit of a cliche, in fact.

So: fingers crossed for the interview, on track for the weight loss, and hanging on in there in terms of the private life.

Glad you are back from Rome. Some places are just too hard to eat in to be worth even trying to diet there. Never ever go to Bavaria!

Take care

B

A stone off is A Good Thing, well done If you keep it off until the end of the year then that is a great achievement. You don't have to lose much to notice all sorts of differences in your clothes and energy levels so I hope you are feeling better for it. Has your private life noticed, or did most of it come off before you got together?

I was reading your new poems before and as usual was impressed by your ability to express yourself - in all sorts of contrasting ways. You said things were good but difficult at the moment, well, it may be a cliche but that doesn't make you feel any better does it? I hope that whatever the difficulty is (and it sounds as though geographical separation is at least a part of it), it resolves itself in a positive way.

Good luck for your interview, you've said this to other people (Xan for one) - it doesn't matter if the pay isn't great if the non-currency benefits are good. Sounds like it is a job that could lead to good things, and it is bound to pay more than temping! You sound a bit distraught that you will have to stay in the uk for a whole year though - the jetsetter in you will have to make do with the occasional bit of non-work travel

As as for becoming a permie It is no bad thing - I still get the occasional call from agancies trying to fill contracts that pay a LOT more than my current salary, but I know I'll still be getting this in 6 months time and I can make PLANS. I probably wouldn't be moving now if it wasn't for this job, and buying a place together has encouraged talk of weddings and children (although no rings yet) so I finally feel like I'm growing up and *sharp intake of breath* settling down. That is what I want at this point so it's ideal really. Probably sounds awful to you though - but there is no reason why you shouldn't go for a permanent job that gives you all the variety, travel and interest that contracting does, but with a bit more stability.

Trying the Atkins diet at the moment, basically because I fancied some cheese Don't think I'll be doing it forever but it makes a nice change anyway


k

I've sent you an email to your yahoo addy - it is relavent to other threads.

B

And after that small aside...

Am thankfully back off of the Atkins diet again - won't be trying that again in a hurry! Not only did it make me feel horrible but after the first few pounds I didn't lose any weight. Back to the old routine then.

Getting very excited about moving house now, should only be 4 or 5 weeks away. The commute from Croydon to Slough is really getting me down and after I move I might even be close enough to cycle to work!

How did the interview go?

Interview went well, but no feedback so far. I am debating phoning this afternoon, but on the other hand, agencies are motivated to getting things signed and sealed, so presumably they will call if there is news.

My PL had been thinking of doing Atkins, but I was telling him it is the work of the devil. He didn't believe me - what do I know, after all? Anyway - he went to a dietician who told him that with his particular blood sugar / cholesterol problems there is no way he should go on a low carb diet. I confess I failed to supress the "I told you so".

I am good, but suffering in the heat.

Good luck with the move! That must be a truly vile commute. Where abouts are you looking for somewhere to live?

B

We have found a house in the Cookham area - really lovely location (so nice to get out of the city again) and just about affordable if we sell a kidney each and promise the building society our first born child

I wanted to be within a reasonable commute of work (slogging round the Surrey stretch of the M25 in rush hour is the worst most suckiest journey in the world) but not get too much plane noise from heathrow, I think we've found the right place.

Was always a bit suspicious of the atkins thing but thought I may as well give it a go (desperate times, been stuck for ages) as it is supposedly such a miracle rapid weightloss thing. After an initial drop I stopped losing anything at all - gave it three and a half weeks and could take it no more. Tell your PL that it is the devils diet - and the very worst thing was the effect of a sudden drop in the amount of fibre I was getting. Ugh.

It is funny, I really missed cheese on my usual diet but that was nothing compared to how much I missed fruit and veg. I am going to continue to cut the potato/rice/pasta/bread part right down so I guess I am holding on to some of the principles, but I am allowing myself as much greenery as I can take and getting rid of all the lardy stuff again.

I stopped it about 18 hours ago and feel SO much better that I know I have done the right thing.

Do you think no news is good news for the job? Did they have a lot of people to see?

Sounds great. I worked in Maidenhead before going to Uni, and it is all a very lovely area.

The PL is fine if he has academic references - so his nutritionist is believed, and I gave him one of the Montigniac books, which he will probably believe too. It is very good for me - it forces me to check my sources!

Good luck with the move. It is always worth it.

B

Have decided to give Slimming World a go to see how I get on with their diet - have found a class near to where I'm moving to so am going to start going along there. If nothing else I'll get to meet some like-minded souls in my new village

Their diet has been recommended to me by a number of different people, most of whom hated weight watchers (ugh), so they must be better than that. The diet is about food optimisation, so you have green days when you can eat carbs, and red days when you can eat protein. Sounds a bit like food combining in that you usually keep these food types separate. Can't hurt to give it a go anyway.

I was wondering, as my life will be relatively sane and predictable location-wise for the next few weeks (at least until I move in Sept.), do you fancy meeting up for that curry-and-a-gossip we talked about roughly a year ago?

What a great idea! Can you make it to the Surry/Kent Girls Night Out on the 27th August in Guildford?

It is invitation only - a very select meet! But you qualify geographically and in terms of gender - I think you are a wee tadlet younger than the rest of us, except Mina. Though Mina is an honorary grown-up because she is an Italic.

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Apart from that, I am living in Gloucestershire right now, so the geography is a little strained. But if we could meet at the Slough end of things I could make it.

B

I'd love to! I will be able to make the 27th if the others don't mind a not-quite-as-grown-up tagging along. Will be funny to be the youngster of a group at the tender young age of 29 although there is a pub quiz I go to with my dad where I am referred to as "The Youth" and am expected to field all questions on popular culture from 1980 to present.

I just read through the Surrey/kent thread - isn't it fun trying to settle on a mutually acceptable date? It is like the extended series of emails I had trying to organise a health spa break for a group of my girlfriends a while back, there was much checking of diaries and shuffling of appointments

I'm teaching in Slough that day so Guildford isn't too far away and I'm sure I will be able to chuck out my students in a timely manner for once. Looking forward to it