At The Start - All Set

When I first started writing  this weight loss blog  more than 3 years ago, my goal was to make lifestyle changes that would enable me to not only lose weight, but once I had lost it, to remain within a healthy weight range for the long term. One of those changes is well documented here, after all it’s the name of this blog ! The goal  was to become a retired dieter and get off the diet merry go round for good. One other goal I had, I kept private until now.

I had set myself a target of running a marathon before I was 50. The challenge of running 26.2 miles has always had a strange draw to me. Back in the winter of 2008 , at 44 years of age, and with 56 lbs to lose, that goal seemed a long way off.  Well this past Easter Sunday weekend I achieved that goal.

I ran the Hull Marathon in 4 hours 13 minutes and 28 seconds , not too shabby for a 47 year old former fat boy, on his first  attempt !.

Me With My Marathon Medal

I actually entered for the Marathon way back in November 2011, the reason I did not say anything about it before now was simply because  I still felt so much could go wrong before the day, or even on the day !.  As it turned out, other than the last 3 miles, all went well.  Those last 3 miles ? .. oh those were sheer hell, At 21 miles I  was running well and looking at a time of under 4 hours, but at mile 23 my legs went, and my thoughts turned from doing the Marathon in under 4 hours to just making sure I finished it.

Those last 3 miles took everything I had, pysically I had nothing left, it was just sheer mental determination that got me over that finishing line. Today, 2 days after the race, my legs are still weak. In my training I had done regular long runs up to 20 miles, and I was always fine after those runs, but this extra 6 miles has left me feeling worse than the first day I ever started to do exercise .

The training guide I followed did not have me running past 20 miles. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but knowing what I know now, I would have trained beyond the 26 miles I had to run.

This issue of how to train for a marathon, actually reminds me a lot of the typical advice we see about weight loss. There are so many different people telling you how you should lose weight and what is the right way to go about doing it , but as I often say on this blog, the right way is the way that works for you.  Before Sunday I had never run a marathon, so I had no personal experience I could use to help me prepare. I looked online  and of course found many different views on how to train for a marathon, and of course plenty of debate between runners as to what was the right or wrong way to train, the similarities with the weight loss websites out there was very evident to me, It was hard to know what to do. For ” don’t run more than xx miles per day training or you will burn out, you could easily be reading, “don’t cut calories too much or you will go into starvation mode” !.

NOT mile 23 !

Now that I have done the distance myself, I now know what I would do to prepare for it again, even though there would be people telling me it’s wrong, I know for me that I need to run past 26 miles in training so that I know I can do it on the race day. For every person who tells me ” you don’t need to do 26 miles before the day ” I now know from doing that race, for my own peace of mind, I do !.  I am sure there are plenty of runners who complete marathons while only training to 20 miles on their long runs, but for me, that is not going to work.

Weight Loss is the same, there are plenty of different ways to get to your goal, but the right way, is the one that you can follow easily and  not that you have to take every ounce of mental strength to try and  stick to it. You can do that one day, but long term, you have to find a better way to get you over the line.

So this is one goal complete. So what do I set myself next you may ask ?  Well now I want to run below 4 hours next year, so yes I will do it again, especially as I won a free entry to next years marathon as I was the 500th applicant for this years. Typical, the only thing I win in my life is the chance to run another 26 miles !

What is the take home message  from this post ?  well, 2 things really…

No 1. No matter if you are running a marathon, or looking to lose weight, be sure to take some time and  listen to yourself and not just what everyone else tells you. Do what gets you the results you want. If you don’t like to eat breakfast, then don’t eat breakfast if that is what works for you. If you are making progress in what you do, stick with it, if you are not getting the results you want, then make a change.

No 2  Always set yourself new challenges to keep you moving forward, and not slipping back to your old ways.  Keep your goals realistic. I can’t run a marathon in 14 days with no training, just the same as you can’t lose 30lbs in  14 days, but we can start doing the things that help us achieve those targets over time.  The important thing is how much do want it ?

I ran the Hull Marathon in aid of  The Hey Smile Foundation  that link will show you the charities they support. If any reader would like to make a donation, no matter how small, you can do so through my Just Giving Page Here

So here we are coming to the end of another year. The holidays are upon us, and it’s a time to eat drink and be merry so the saying goes.  I could not let the Christmas season pass without my usual Holiday saying , so here is just a quick post on the subject. Yes it’s the same one I say every year at this time of year since I started this blog. So just like last year here it is….

It’s Not What You Do Between Christmas And New Year That Matters, But What You Do Between New Year And Christmas

You see this is less than 2 weeks out of 52.  It’s a time to enjoy with family and friends.  Looking at my calender, I may do a fast on Wednesday the 28th, but , if not, then I won’t to too concerned.  I know once the holidays are over, I will get back to a normal routine and weight I gained over the holidays will soon fall off again. I know this because that has been the case for the previous 2 years. I don’t worry what I eat or drink over the holidays, I just enjoy it, and make the changes needed in the new year.

So just one question left.. Are you going to become a retired dieter in 2012 ?

Enjoy the Holidays wherever you are.

It is now 2 years since I reached my original weight loss target  of losing 4 stone or 56lbs  ( a little over 26 kilos if you want the metrics ). 12 Months later I posted again talking about keeping the weight off  and how I had not only managed to do so, but was now at a weight of  164 lbs  approx 74.5 kilos 11 stone 10 lbs.

Me before a run in my five fingers on October 27th 2011

That post about maintaining weight loss was a year ago today. My weight today, right after the weekend, is 75 kilos, so more or less the same. I have kept my weight in the same range for the last 12 months, and more importantly I have now kept off the weight I originally set out to lose for 2 years.  I find my usual weight range these days is between 74 and 76 kilos.  This weight loss blog will be 3 years old on New Years Day 2012.  Writing my first Retired Dieter post back on January 1st 2009 I said I would never go on another diet again. I wanted to change my view of food, and weight loss. I was no longer going to deprive myself of foods I enjoy, or think in terms of good or bad foods. instead, I would simply focus on finding a way to eat less.  If you have followed this blog for any length of time, then you will know by now that intermittent fasting  , in its many different forms was the main tool I have used.

Losing weight is one thing, keeping that weight off , over time is something else. In the past I had lost weight ” on diets ” but of course the problem was as soon as the weight was lost, the diet was done, and I was ” off the diet ” and back to the same cycle.  2 years of maintaining a healthy weight, without cutting out foods I enjoy from my diet, confirms to me , that diets as they are sold to us, simply don’t work. The reason I was finally able to solve my weight issues, was because I finally understood the only thing that matters when it comes to losing weight, or maintaining weight loss….. calories in v calories out. Even now people still argue on this point, but after losing weight, and keeping it off, nobody can tell me it does not work.You can dress weight loss up in any form you like, but no matter what others tell you, it still comes down to the fact you will lose weight if you eat less calories than you need, and you will gain weight if you eat more calories than you need. So one way or another you have to find a way that works for you that enables you to eat less. In my experience viewing foods as good or bad or healthy or unhealthy won’t help. Thinking you can’t eat a pizza, or a cheese cake, because it’s not healthy or, not good for you only ads to the problems. I do think looking back , that so much of the weight loss and diet issues I had were mental ones.

I would have to say the key factor in the change for me, was just finally getting an  understanding how many calories I need on a weekly basis to stay in the weight range I want to be. How those calories are made up is less important than making sure I am around the number.  The diet industry is still selling more and more products, and people are still getting bigger, but it still just comes down to eat less and move more if you want to lose weight and keep it off.

Close Up Of Paper Click On The Image For Proof of Date

Yes It Is A Current Photo !

]]> http://retireddieter.com/maintaining-weight-loss/feed 15 http://retireddieter.com/i-need-to-lose-weight http://retireddieter.com/i-need-to-lose-weight#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:09:24 +0000 Dave http://retireddieter.com/?p=1487

So let me ask you…

what was the trigger for you ?  The straw the broke the camels back, that defining moment, where you took a good look at yourself and said those 5 words ” I need to lose weight ”

It tends to be different for all of us. for some it could be a  forthcoming summer vacation or a wedding. For others, it can be clothes not fitting anymore, no matter what it is that has brought you to this point, the main thing that matters now is how you go forward.

I Need To Lose Weight – Getting Started

The first thing you need to know if you are looking to lose weight, is how many calories to lose weight you need. Get a true understanding of your calorie requirements, and you have laid the foundations from which you can build your weight loss plan.  The resting metabolic rate chart  I have included below gives you a calorie range you should work with. Simply look up your height, and use the yellow ” mean” number for you daily average.

My personal choice is  to take this number and multiply by 7 , so this way, I have a full weeks  calorie total. I advise a weekly calorie total rather than daily simply because you can cycle your calories over the week, In my case, I prefer to save calories for the weekend,when I know this is when I am likely to consume the most. I find it very easy to keep calories low during the week, but you have to do what works best for you, but no matter what your own weekly schedule is, I would still recommend  working to a weekly calorie total

I Need To Lose Weight  - Best Way To Cut Calories

From my own experience of losing weight I am very much in the calories in, calories out is what matters camp. My weight loss success was not down to anything other than calorie restriction. I did not stop eating any foods that I enjoy, I have been there and done that, and it just does not work. This time, I just focused on eating less. The big question you have to ask yourself  is how do you want to do it ?

I can only tell you what has worked for me, but If you are now at a point where you need to lose weight, and you are motivated to do so,  then I see no reason why you can’t adapt  my weight loss methods to work for you.

Your Weight Loss Tools

If you want to lose weight, one way or another, you have to find a way to cut calories below your daily needs. My main tool has always been intermittent fasting.  I like it not only for the fat burning advantage it gives me, but also because it suits my lifestyle.  Eat Stop Eat is what I started using back in January 2009. I also have done a personal eat stop eat review that you can read.

Also along the calories in vs calories out theme is John Barban’s Anything Goes Diet again, you can also read the anything goes diet review and see real weight loss examples.

Because I do this weight loss blog I am often asked what is the best diet plan, or ” what is the best way to lose weight ”  well my answer is always, the same….

The best way to lose weight is the way that works for you.

Let me explain,

My life, is not your life, so doing  EXACTLY as I do will not work for you. What will work is understanding what is important for weight loss, and what isn’t. Once you are clear on that , then its simply a case of working the right things into your normal daily life. The principles in the 2 diet plans I have mentioned are what I have used, and continue to use to keep my weight under control.

I am not special, and I am far from perfect, but I was able to lose over 65lbs by ignoring all the Diet B.S. that you hear from people and read in the media day after day. I was not fat because I had a slow metabolism, in the same way that I am not now lean because I have a fast metabolism. My metabolism has not changed, and my guess is your own reason for saying ” I need to lose weight ”   has nothing to do with your metabolism either, but  it will have everything to do with consuming too many calories, and that is what has to change.

I Need To Lose Weight – Small Steps , Big Changes

If you are just starting out on a plan to lose weight, I would suggest you keep a food diary for 7 days, 14 days would be even better, but certainly for 7. Don’t even think about weight loss at this point, just make a note of your normal eating plan. I remember when I did my food diary, I was amazed by how many cups of coffee with a cookie I had each day… we are talking 600 + calories worth a day, if you had asked me without writing it down, I would have estimated no more than 200. Just being aware of  that one daily habit meant I could save 1000′s of calories per week, without any major sacrifices or changes. That is just one example of how I started to eat less.

This is one of the biggest problems of weight loss, we underestimate how many calories we consume, and we overestimate, how many calories we burn. The result is we keep gaining weight until we correct that problem. Unless you are going to live your life in a laboratory, you have no accurate way of knowing how many calories you eat, or how many you burn, so all you can do is make your best estimate. Round up the calories in the food you eat, and round down the exercise calories burned.

I Need To Lose Weight –  Starting Now

Congratualtions, you made it through this post, but now it’s over to you, saying ” I need to lose weight ” is one thing, but now you need to make a start. So my next advice is start to today, there is no reason to put it off, good habits start today. There is always a party to go to, if you want, you can make excuses for every week of the year, there is always something, so the thing only you can answer  is this….

When you said ” I need to lose weight ” do you want to do something about ?  …. if so, start now.

If you enjoyed this post, please hit the facebook share button and spread the word,  be sure to check out my weight loss tips page, and to get more of my views on weight loss, also please subscribe to the Retired Dieter email list up in the top right hand corner of this site.

For over 6 months now my weight has stayed between 164 and 165 lbs.  I have been pleased with this as it proves to me that I now know what to do to keep my weight under control.

I was recently asked my view about weight loss set point theory.  I certainly can’t base my views on any form of medical experience, but I do have my own take on the subject from having lost a large amount of weight, and then looking to lose the final few lbs.

Last month in my post about keeping weight off I mentioned how in November I would need to make a few tweaks to my current routine, if I was to drop some more weight.

The small changes I made in November were as follows

1 change from walking  5 miles to running 8 miles. This means I burn more calories in the same amount of time because I am covering more distance.

2 I bought  a doorway pull up bar – the powerbar 2 from innovation fitness.  ( Very pleased with it , video is below )

Those were the only changes made for November. The result ?  well I have recorded a new low weight of 163lbs. So a loss of 1lb from the previous month.

So my take on the set point theory is that, I am now at a weight where it is harder to lose weight. My BMR is now somewhere around 1650- 1700 calories per day and I need to be below this to lose weight. Even with my intermittent fasting days , it is hard to create a deficit to lose even1lb per week. The only way I can do this now is to increase what I burn,  I don’t feel I can change anything else in my diet without feeling I am going without, and that is one thing I not felt since becoming a retired dieter.

So my view of weight loss and the set point is simply, your current lifestyle will determine your weight.  In my case my current way of eating and my walking for exercise have helped keep my weight steady, or at a ” set point “. If I want to lose a little more weight, then something has to change in my normal routine. I think the change from walking to running in November has shown, that I can then  lose some more weight, so in this case I did not eat less, I just moved more .. it seems to have worked.

So now as we enter December and the holiday feasting, what is my plan ? well for the next 3 weeks, I will just keep doing the same, though I intend to aim for running 6 days. The only thing that could be a problem is the weather. As I write this the snow is falling outside my window, and it is deep enough that I won’t be running anywhere today.

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Calculate BMR  - How Many Calories Do You Need ?

Following on from my post about using a calorie calculator to lose weight I decided to put a BMR calculator on the blog.  I think one of the main questions I get asked on a constant basis is from people wondering about how they go about calculating bmr. When you understand how to calculate bmr, then you will also have a greater understanding of the calories burned per day.Though all calorie calculators have  a degree of inaccuracy, I have found that having a reasonable idea of my BMR helped with weight loss in the long term.

My BMR Number

Calculate BMR –  Daily Or Weekly ?

So should you go by a weekly or daily number when you calculate bmr ?. In my case, though  I know my daily BMR number is around 1700. I use a weekly total. I then use my intermittent fasting days to help me stay at this level.

Using the weekly total allows me a greater flexibility because my weekend calorie intake is usually far higher than my weekday totals. Once again, I will point out that this method is what works for me, how you make it fit your own requirements is up to you.

Calculate BMR For Weight Loss

The image you see here, is a screen grab showing my BMR  at 1670 calories set  for  my age, weight and height. You will also see it gives a suggestion of how many calories I should consume on a daily basis if I want to lose weight.  As I mentioned previously I would only use this as a rough guide. Even without any exercise I would personally try and aim for 1200  calories per day, or 8,400 calories per week.  Why 1200 ? well I have learnt over time that it is impossible to know exactly how many calories I eat every day, so I try and estimate on a lower level.

If I am losing weight on a steady basis, then I know it is working, if i am not losing any weight , then of course I need to take a harder look at the calories.

So my basal metabolic rate number is my starting point for both weight loss, and weight maintenance. If you want to find out your starting point then go and  use  the BMR Calculator any questions or if It’s not clear, just leave me a comment.

Calculate BMR HERE

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Fast Weight Loss Diets  I see the term in my search logs and I guess by using that search term in google, the person wants to lose weight fast, and not that they searching  for using  fasting for weight loss .So if you are here because you are looking for fast weight loss diets,  then I guess this post is for you, so let me ask you a question… ready ? OK ,  tell me what  exactly is fast weight loss to you ?

How Fast Is Fast ?

What Are Fast Weight Loss Diets ?

You see the reason I ask is, I look back at my own weight loss success, and I think losing 56lbs pounds in around 10 months can be looked at as  fast weight loss, even if I didn’t feel I was on a fast weight loss diet at any time.

Now I am quite sure that before you start on any diet, or weight loss plan, you start your search with fast weight loss diets . After all we now live in a world where we want everything now.  Advances in technology may mean we have the latest iphone or android phone, we can even have a  choice of weight loss apps for our iphones.

Yes in our modern world everything is there to make sure we have the fastest weight loss in the shortest time, well I hate to break it you, but in terms of the human body and losing weight, the thing is , and as much as I would like to tell you different. fast weight loss still won’t happen today.

Weight loss takes time. One thing to remember is how you gained the weight in the first place. In my case my weight increased steadily over the years. I didn’t go from 175lbs to 231bs in a few weeks. No it took a long time.

Now here is the thing, I lost 56lbs in 10 months, so to me that is fast weight loss, but was it a diet ?  In my mind no, but it was the fastest weight loss I have ever had.

Fast Weight Loss Diets – How Fast Is Fast ?

I know you have seen the quick weight loss diet ads, the ” lose 30lbs in 30 days ” claims, and I wish I could tell you they were true, but we both know deep down it is not possible to lose the weight that quickly.

What I want to do here is change your mind.. no your mindset, about fast weight loss diets, and more importantly about fast weight loss itself.

Change your thinking about fast weight loss diets, think of fast weight loss in terms of months , not days or a few weeks.  Start with a single step. I look back now, almost a year later since I lose the weight I set out to lose and I view my weight loss as fast. Of course I would have loved to lose 40lbs in 6 weeks, but you have to learn to block out the lies the diet companies tell you.

The fact is when we start to restrict calories, the weight comes off far quicker than it went on.

So Keep That In Mind When thinking you need fast weight loss diets

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The summer months have seen me use my 2 days per week  intermittent fasting routine to keep a steady weight. After reaching my lowest weight in 20 years, I was happy to take a little time out from trying to get leaner. I didn’t plan it that way, but with Holidays, and Kids at home, that is how it worked out. So though I have not last any weight in last 2 months, I didn’t gain any either.

Now with the summer coming to an end, and the kids going back to school, I’m looking to drop from 165lbs down to 161lbs.

One thing that has surprised me, is how much leaner I needed to be than I originally thought was necessary in order to see my abs. I made the mistake of looking at Brad Pilon and thinking because he is the same height as me, I would need to be around the same weight as him… WRONG !.  Brad does much more heavy lifting than me, and clearly has built up more muscle over the years. I do bodyweight exercise for resistance training, but I even at 165lbs I still am not there. Yes I am in a healthy weight range, but my target this year was the 6 pack abs in my mid 40′s, and though on  some days they show ( usually on a fasting day )  I still have a little to go.

What was interesting was I noticed a big difference in the mirror, between 166lbs and 165lbs. Only 1lb , which seems nothing, but on this occasion most of the fat was lost from my lower belly.

The thing is for me now to go from 165lbs to 161lbs  isn’t such a long way off.  I may even find I don’t need to actually get to 161lbs, or indeed I may find I need to go even lower to get the result I want, but I guess the next couple of months will give the answer.

The main rule of this test is still the same. My aim is to prove I can get 6 pack abs, but just eating less. That means I will still be drinking my beers, and eating the foods I like. I will though look to cut the calories . But there will be no ” eating clean ” as always, nothing is off limits.

September is a good month for me to be a little more disciplined, I don’t like to miss meal times with the family, but once everyone is back out during the day, it is easy for me to just work and skip lunch. Again for me this is easy to do. I have used fasting for weight loss for 20 months now, so in that time I have figured out my own routine for what works for me.  It is important you do the same, but in my case , when I don’t have the family around, I find it easy to fast and can easily get through the day without eating. I would not avoid a social lunch, but if I am by myself, I find it no problem to get through the day with my black coffee or my green tea with mango.

So as September arrives, and from the look of the UK weather, summer is leaving, it’s time to get my focus back on my abs experiment. Just for the record, I don’t need to lose this weight because I am overweight, the reason for the experiment is because I believe the same myths surround getting 6 pack abs, that surround weight loss. I am of the opinion that my abs will show based on getting lean enough ( which of course is diet ) not by any special exercise regime, or eating ( or not eating ) certain food types.  Now it is time to stop my talk, and make it happen while staying true to the retired dieter philosophy

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So a month of BBQ, Beer, Football, and general relaxation ends with me staying the same weight. I have been far more active this month, but also had far more to eat and drink. No complaints from me though as my weight remains steady and under control.

Mid August I plan to start to blog on a more regular basis. I have decided I want to comment far more on the myths and general weight loss lies I see around the internet. After finally figuring what it takes to lose weight and keep it off, I think I have enough experience to comment on what does and does not work in terms of weight loss.

As today  marks the mid point of the year, it means I have now been a retired dieter for 18 months.

On Jan 1st 2009 I stepped on the scales and was 231lbs. today 18 months later, I am 165lbs. No diet, no rules to break, just a clear understanding of what my daily calorie needs are, and a simple process to stay within those limits month to month.

Learning how to finally control my weight  after all these years can only be described as liberating.  The day I stopped listening  to all the diet bullshit was the day I finally was set free from food guilt.

The diet companies want you to eat more, but the real answer is actually to eat less and enjoy the foods you eat. No need for diet pills, magic shakes , specialist meals. Just learn how many calories you need ( it is less than you think )  and find the way that works best for you to restrict the calories you eat. For me that was intermittent fasting,  and now 18 months on, it will always remain as my way of controlling my weight, it is now part of my life.

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