A Distance Dieter’s True Story

27.10.2009

Beside me as I write is an old plastic 30cm ruler which is more poignant today than it was 8 weeks back. You see, over the past 2 months I have lost this ruler and a bit more inch-wise along with the equivalent of 16 pound bags of sugar.

Was it hard? Could I only eat eggs and grape fruit? Cabbage soup? Powder shakes? Pure protein? Or get up and exercise at the crack of dawn? Worse - give up alcohol? Snacks?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.

In fact I ate more than usual, more often than usual.

So many of us walk about with an unnecessary stone or so over our healthy weight - an annoying muffin top, extra insulation, love handles or saddlebags …. whatever tag we ascribe, it feels unattractive and having to squeeze into clothes is horrid. But that tight waistband doesn't just mean a new wardrobe, it can be a health warning.

According to Cancer Research, in Britain people with a healthy body weight are the minority:

• Two in three men (67%) and more than one in two women (56%) are either overweight or obese
• One in four men (25%) and one in five women (20%) are obese

Putting it simply - the number of overweight and obese people in the UK is increasing. A recent Government report showed that if current trends continue, the majority of people in the country will be obese by 2050, including 60% of men and 40% of women.

Just one measly extra stone can push your Body Mass Index (BMI) above the healthy 25 and officially into that overweight category - and that was where I slotted into the equation. I don’t consider myself an a-typical candidate – sure I’m not obese, but I’ve never been a stick insect either. A curvy “healthy size 12” as my Gran used to say and, no matter what the season, I have always carried some spare “winter weight”, just in case….

With a BMI of 26.8 and saddlebag measurements of a wobbly 40 inches, I was actually classed as overweight. Gulp. It’s equally embarrassing to consider all the yo yo and faddy plans I have been on, the things I have endured (I still gag when I see a grapefruit) and delicacies I have denied myself to painfully lose weight only to quickly regain it.

I have tried the Fat Clubs and cringed as I’d had the obligatory clap from my fellow dieters and hidden under the chair when I’d had a good week (launch nights and wine and canapés in abundance) but they classed it as a bad one because I’d gained a pound. I got fed up seeing days as “green” or “red”, counting points for every morsel that entered my mouth and, well…. weight is a private thing and every time I rejoined one of these groups I lost the weight I’d aimed for but was so mortified by the whole experience I exited as soon as possible and thus never maintained that loss …. so the vicious circle perpetuated.

Action needed to be taken once and for all. And a diet per se wasn’t the answer – it was an overall. retraining of eating habits. Not just an 8 week fling, but something I could continue with (and indeed have).

So – 8 weeks with Distance Dieters worked perfectly.

As with anything that becomes a success it’s all down to planning – not grabbing a sandwich at lunch or a chocolate bar at the garage because you’ve missed breakfast. I can wholeheartedly say nothing in my work or social calendar changed – I ate out perhaps two or three times a week, I drank wine (substituting it for fizz where appropriate) and only a few people even knew about the new regime which was a great sense of empowerment.

Weekly food diaries are a huge part of the plan – the physical action of writing down everything you’ve eaten each week helps considerably and also makes you realise what you do consume ….and if you have a wonky day one day, rather than throw all your toys out the pram and gorge on chocolate and drown in wine, you simply revert back to healthy good days for the rest of the week. So simple – yet so effective.

So – the statistics?

Chest: Week 0: 36" Week 8: 33" (Total loss 3" )
Waist: Week 0: 31" Week 8: 26" (Total loss: 5" )
Love Handles: Week 0: 40" Week 8: 35" (Total loss: 5")
Hips/saddle bags: Week 0: 44" Week 8: 39" (Total loss: 5")

Meaning, in just two months and actually eating more than I usually do (but of the right kind of things) made total inches lost: 18 inches and total weight lost: 1 st. 2 lbs.
Pretty good for something which was fairly painless and totally realistic to entwine into regular day to day living.

So this new way of eating I hereby rename “The Champagne and Cashew Nut Regime” – because for me, it was those two delights which made it utterly bearable. I had them (in copious amounts some weeks) but still lost on the scales and the tape measure and well, for maintaining the weight loss, what two things could be a more desirable incentive? To be told Champagne is the best alcohol to drink (if you must drink it….) I think is priceless!
 

By Emma Heathcote-James

For a full blown week by week account and for photographs of the above article see Emma's Distance Dieters Blog.