ThinkSlim

My new Silva EX3 pedometer: Here at Last!

My new Silva EX3 pedometer finally arrived a few days ago.

Well worth the wait - no wonder they were sold out! What a difference it is making.

The cheap one I bought while I was waiting for delivery of this one started being annoying and so I didn't wear it all day. With this one you can wear it around you neck, in your pocket or in your bag and it's around 20g (less than an ounce) so you don't even notice you're wearing it.

It resets itself automatically every night (keeping a record of the last 7 days for you) - I leave it in my dressing gown pocket until I'm dressed and then it goes in my pocket or around my neck depending what I'm wearing.

No annoying click click click either or falling off your waistband when you bend over.

If you've only ever used those horrible cheap ones you'll really notice the difference though that may be less of a case if you've had an expensive one before.

As far as motivation goes, it's working for me so far.

I'm reasonably fit so I didn't start from the beginners part of my pedometer weight loss program with a gradual build up on steps - I'm aiming to do 10,000 steps a day.

First day I had the EX3 I had only done 6000 or so steps by 4pm so I did an extra 30 minutes stepping in front of "Ready Steady Cook" to help me arrive at my target and yesterday I decided to walk to the Post Office instead of driving so that I could get some extra steps clocked up and I got to almost 13,000.

Today I have not done any formal exercise so I am around the 3000 mark and so that will be me going for a walk this evening or stepping in front of the TV again instead of being lazy.

By the way if you would like to buy one I have seen these on Amazon in the Uk - the .com site doesn't seem to have them but you may get something similar on their pedometers page.

How to Bead Your Way to Weight Loss

You can tell I've got something new on my brain with that title LOL but I've not gone quite mad yet.

The thing is, I started a new beading class on Tuesday morning and instead of feeling hungry around 11 am and ready for lunch, as I usually do, I was lost in a world of choosing beads from the vast array the teacher had on display and putting them together into something that resembled a half-decent pair of earrings and a bracelet.

I had a great time with a friendly bunch of people and a very helpful teacher and was totally absorbed in being creative. I could have quite happily put off lunch for another hour - it's almost unheard of for me to manage not to eat my lunch before 12 if I'm working on something on my PC at home.

So often we eat (or think we feel hungry) because we are bored.

Now what will keep me happily absorbed (and not thinking of food) may not be for you but if you can find something that interests you like that it can keep you hands busy and out of the cookie jar and your mind on the task at hand instead of on what you can eat.

The trick is to find something you love and which you can be actively involved in during your free time to stop yourself getting bored.

These days many of us spend a lot of our leisure time passively in front of the TV and that leaves us too open to thinking we are hungry (especially after watching food ads or cookery shows) ... see if you can replace some of that time with a hobby - and if you can make it one that get's you moving all the better. Unfortunately beading doesn't use many calories :)

How to Stop Eating

I had an email from a lady, let's call her Penny for the sake of anonymity, who wanted to know

"I read a book to motivate myself to quit smoking...how do I get motivated, really motivated to stop eating"

The thing is, eating is even more addictive than smoking. We are biologically programmed to eat. It's definitely NOT the same as smoking. If we don't eat we die. If you don't smoke, you live longer! We can't just not buy food or stay away from other eaters. Or chew a food substitute.

And unfortunately for the state of our waistlines, it seems we are also programmed to eat as much food as we can when food is plenty so that we are able to cope with lean times ahead.

Now the trouble is that these days there are no leaner times to use up our fat stores so some of us (well a whole lot of us actually) just eat and eat to the point of obesity

Those of us who want to be slim, simply have to learn to regulate ourselves, like it or not. We have to learn to read our body's signals. To know when we are physically hungry and when we have had enough. We have to eat slowly and pay attention to our bodies.

And once you are aware that you have eaten enough you have to stop eating before you feel stuffed. And not start again until you are physically hungry.

There are a few strategies you can use to let your body (and mind) know it's time to stop eating :-

• Like smoking, eating too much (or eating when you're not physically hungry) can be a kind of habit so if you stop yourself snacking or eating too much at each meal (using sheer willpower in the beginning) eventually you will be quite used to that and stop naturally.
• If you like chocolate (like me) you may allow yourself a square with coffee at the end of your meal to signify that you have finished eating. You won't mind stopping so much, because chocolate is coming :)
• Some people find it useful to brush their teeth when eating is over. This may be a helpful strategy for Penny who used to use a cigarette to signal the end of a meal.
• You could also use clearing the kitchen of all dishes and leftovers, rinsing out the sink and putting out the kitchen lights.

Penny is also asking how she can be motivated to WANT to stop eating.

For that you need to understand what you want to achieve by losing weight and keep reminding yourself how much you want to achieve it - every time you reach for food you don't need.

If you don't want to lose weight enough then the compulsion to eat will be too great. So reinforce your reasons by going through them (in your head or on paper) whenever you can.

Plus, if you want more help with motivation and strategies to follow you can get my FREE 7 part weight loss motivation course here

Eat a Good Meal and Lose weight

When you say you had a good meal what do you mean?

A good meal could be one which gave you enormous pleasure. It could be that it was absolutely delicious. You enjoyed every mouthful and felt quite satisfied after eating it.

Maybe it included some of your favorite foods - just like your mom used to make. True comfort food.

Maybe it was pure indulgence with food you love but which you don't normally allow yourself to eat on your diet.

Maybe you pushed the boat out a bit and ate in a top restaurant and are still remembering the whole experience of dining like royalty.

But there's another definition of a good meal I would like you to think about. It's one where you don't say "That was delicious" and then regret the calories when you get on the scales the next day.

A truly good meal is delicious but it also nourishes your body and provides a good balance of protein, carbohydrate, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals without going over the top on calories. It's one which has a healthy balance between tasting fantastic and making you feel fantastic too.

You may think that such foods don't exist - that a good meal isn't a good meal without a multitude of calories and a sticky dessert but I'd have to say you just haven't found the right recipes yet.

Make it your mission this year to find one new delicious healthy recipe every month (or every week if you can manage it). Find a healthy recipe that you would look forward to eating, try it out and make sure you love it then add it to your usual list of potential meals. As time goes on and you have collected a few recipes, you will be able to have a good meal whenever you like without wrecking you diet - you'll have your own treasure trove of personal favorites.  

To find recipes take a look at the cookbooks you have at home, search for "low-calorie recipes, "low-fat recipes" or "Weight Watchers recipes" online or check out some specialist magazines from your local book store.

Is it Your Hormones?

I had a reader ask me a question recently about losing weight caused by hormonal imbalance. She was looking for help to find websites which deal with natural remedies which would make the process of losing weight easier.

In these situations I always try and find the true cause of excess weight and I answered her with a few questions to try and get to the heart of the matter. I add my response here in case it helps anyone else. As usual I try and tell it like it is - I won't tell you there's an easy solution when there isn't.

"Mmmmh... Why do you think you have a hormonal imbalance? Has a doctor diagnosed that? If so, your doctor is the best person to give you the answers! Or visit a natural therapist locally who can can look at your case on an individual basis - they treat the whole person not just the symptoms - so there's no single solution to an imbalance but there are many answers to suit different individuals.

 

In this case I would never follow anything you read on line as there is more misinformation than information - always use a properly qualified medical practitioner.

 

If a hormonal imbalance has not been medically diagnosed then it's back to my question ("Why do you think you have a hormonal imbalance?") because so many people use hormonal imbalance as a reason for being overweight  but I have to say in my experience it is rarely the main cause (unless again there is a proper medical diagnosis).

 

Just something to think about...

 

By the way even if you do have a hormonal imbalance, there's no magic herb you can take to whisk weight away. Unfortunate but true. You can generally correct the hormonal imbalance through medical treatment (natural or otherwise) but the weight still has to be lost.

 

I'm sorry this may not be the answer you want to hear but I hope it helps you get clear about the task ahead."

Now as it happened, my reader responded and she did have a problem with polycystic ovary syndrome which had caused her to gain weight fast and was making it difficult to lose weight. So in this case there was indeed a medical problem.

I am not a doctor and have no training in this particular medical condition but if you have PCOS the following part of my response may help you too

"Instead of looking on the internet where there is a lot of misleading information I know I have seen a good book on this problem which dealt with weight gain caused by polycystic ovaries - the PCOS diet book - but there are a whole range of other books too which might help you as I just found on Amazon.

I have a cousin who has thyroid problems and it is just the same for her - very, very difficult to lose weight. But the things you are already doing will keep your weight in check even if you do not lose it and will help you remain as fit and healthy as possible until you get your medical problems sorted out. Please don't give up!"

 

If you have a medical condition, which is making it difficult to lose weight, get as much help as you can from a properly qualified medical practitioners and don't trust everything you read online. You'll find a whole lot of misinformation about Chinese herbs, berries, pink patches and GI capsules out there.

Lose Weight: Change Your Question

As a weight loss coach I have to admit that I'm far from perfect. I have no magic wand.

(Unfortunately there is no such thing as a magic wand for weight loss - and no magic, pill, patch or potion either which will make you lose weight)

I have to work on my motivation and habits just as much as anyone else to stay in shape.

So when I catch myself in  bad habit I like to let you know!

But anyway I was just getting myself a cup of coffee the other day and caught myself thinking "Now, what can I have to eat with that?"

Not much wrong with that you might say, but I was about to reach for a chocolate chip cookie and you know how one leads to another...

The thing is, I really wasn't hungry at all - hadn't thought about food one bit until I got the coffee. Having something to eat with coffee had slowly but surely become a habit!

So now I am re-training myself to ask "Do I really need to eat anything with that?" and if I think I do need something to eat I wait until after I have had the coffee. The urge to eat has often gone by then and I forget all about it.

Also for some reason it's easier to eat something healthy if it's not actually with the coffee. Carrot sticks and coffee just don't go together!

Walking Update: January walking plans are going well but not without hassles. My new pedometer order has been a bit of a fiasco. Serves me right for ordering from a slightly cheaper supplier instead of good old Amazon who have never let me down. Anyway I received an Omron pedometer instead of the one I ordered and so I sent it back - still waiting for the one I ordered....

Anyway I will get there in the end no doubt. Meanwhile I'm just walking every day without the pedometer. I WOULD like to know how well I am doing increasing my steps but I will just have to wait....

Party Leftovers (and Walking Update)

I hosted the monthly book club I belong to at my house yesterday evening.

With me (and probably you too) there's a big danger of overeating before, during and after a party with so many snacks, wine and leftover food around!

But don't panic, there are some things you can do to help prevent yourself consuming too many excess calories when you have a party.

• Don't drink too much - lots of empty calories in alcohol - stick to one glass of wine
• if it's a buffet, stay as far away from the food as you can after you serve it
• Keep busy serving others with drinks, plates, napkins etc
• Get rid of the leftovers straight away after the event
• Walk off any calorie damage the next day

What happened with me yesterday?

I ate a bit more than I usually would of course (I don't normally eat anything all evening after dinner) but not so much that I regret it today.

Any leftovers I can't rely on my boys to "hoover" up quickly are safely in the trash.

And I went for a 40 minute walk this morning ...

Update on my January walking plans

Walk accomplished today (see above). Still waiting for my pedometer to arrive to start my proper step program - hopefully it will arrive today.

Yesterday, I didn't get out at all - preparing for my visitors was my excuse but with minus 10 degrees C temperatures in parts of the UK yesterday I just didn't want to go out. If the Norwegians don't think there's such a thing as bad weather only bad clothes (see previous walking post) then all I can say is that they have warmer clothes than me :) Coward that I am, I stayed indoors. Anyway, "never say die" - instead of walking, I stepped for 45 minutes in front of the TV which made up for my missing walk.

January Walking Project Update

Plans to follow my own "Lose Weight in 28 Days with Your Pedometer" progam from today have been foiled by my crummy old pedometer giving up the ghost. It's permanently stuck on 3458 steps.

So I just ordered a brand spanking new one - the Silva EX3 - the height of pedometer sophistication :) It should get delivered soon.

So what do you do when life gets in the way. Do you throw in the towel and give up on your plans?

(I hope you're answering no to that one!)

I went for a 40 minute walk anyway without my pedometer. The calories will be lost just the same. The pedometer is just a great motivational tool which can really help but it's not the be all and end all of walking if it breaks down.

Why not join me and walk every day you can?

I know the weather may not be the best in January in some parts of the world but as I learned from my sister-in-law who married a Norwegian and went off to live in freezing cold winter Oslo - they say there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes. So I wrapped up warm and out I went.

Feel free to log your own walks in the comments on my daily entries and I'll give you as much encouragement as I can. And if you want to follow my program you can get it on EBay UK or if you prefer get a downloadable copy here.

Exercise Motivation - 6 Ways to Just Do It

Exercise is one of things where you always feel better when you do it but it's difficult to get going with it. 

Annie (who we spoke about last week always) finds it better to exercise in the morning before life gets in the way, but then is not always able to get up early so her work out will often fall by the wayside.

My view on exercise is that it is so good for your health that you need to do it.

It's not absolutely essential for weight loss (you have to run or walk more than a marathon distance to lose a single pound of fat and so what you eat has by far the greatest effect for most people).

But exercise IS essential to keep you alive, to tone your muscles, to help you sleep and to keep your spirits up! And of course, every calorie you use up by exercising counts. This means that although you won't lose a pound of fat in a single day, you could easily do so over a number of them - in addition to those you lose by eating less.

So exercise is worth it for all those benefits.

The best strategies to make sure you fit in exercise are

Start Early

Exercise as early as possible in the day as Annie has found out - even if it's not first thing then try to get out at lunch time rather than leaving it until the evening and if it must be the evening make it before dinner rather than after. The less there is to get in the way the better.

Move and View

Exercise while you watch TV - only allow yourself to watch the show you love if you are lifting hand weights, using resistance bands, rebounding, stepping or skipping around your lounge. If you can afford it and have space, exercise machines like treadmills, stationery bikes or elliptical trainers are fantastic to use at home - just put a TV near by and only allow yourself to watch if you use your equipment.

Small Doses

Exercise in small amounts of time throughout the day - simply move as much as you can - don't sit, when you can stand, don't stand when you can be moving around, don't use the elevator or car when you can walk or cycle. 10 minutes exercise is better than none at all

Make a Date

Make an appointment with someone to exercise - a personal trainer three times a week will make you take action - failing that a friend or tennis partner who you have an appointment to meet can work wonders as you won't want to let someone else down

Family Fun

Take up exercise with someone else in your family and encourage each other to exercise (you have each others best interests at heart after all) 

Love whatever it is you do to Exercise

Start exercising in a way you love - skiing, paragliding, horse back riding whatever might get you moving

And nowhere did I mention joining the evil gym ... Don't Join a Gym!