It's been four years since I shed four and a half stone in a twelve month period and I'm sat here this morning wondering on just how the hell I have managed to keep it up. Even more remarkable was the fact that during the same twelve month period in 2009 I also gave up television, cinema, films or indeed anything broadcast and stopped reading the news.
I must say looking back it was quite a life changer, for a start as I lost weight I gradually felt fitter, food became a learning process as I analysed what I ate and the effect it had on my body. Bread in most forms for example piled on the carbohydrates and in turn fat whilst naan bread, the healthy choice version available didn't. I found replacements for many items I considered essential, some I found I could do without. I still don't use butter or salt, any oil other than olive oil, and banished red meat from my diet as I found it made me sluggish, which with hindsight was probably a good move. My additional enforced ban on the media changed my mood, no longer was it affected by news events, swayed by emotionally charged program's or dumbed by mindless drivel.
Of course it was not easy, not only did I have to learn a new way of eating but I also had to cope with filling my free time productively. I found myself reading more and setting myself little projects to do, fixing things, learning new skills and becoming gradually more relaxed as I freed myself from part of the real world. Then in 2010 I started to introduce things back in to my life. A little television was allowed only this time I made sure I only watched program's that suited how I felt not program's that changed the way I felt. Food was gradually altered to bring back little items that I missed such as cheese, only this time I made sure that it was all portion controlled and balanced with the rest of my diet.
And I put it all down to this unique slimming device, a humble tea strainer. This small gadget portion controls my daily intake, basically if I want cereal then a level strainer full is about 40-45g, a nice amount to have with frozen fruit and frommage frais. If I fancy rice then again another level strainer full gives me enough rice to stop me being hungry but not too much for it to affect my weight.
This all sounds rather silly and a little bit anal when you pop it down on paper and if somebody said to me all those years ago that I would be using a tea strainer to measure out food every day I would have laughed in their face and gone to the chip shop.
So a really boring blog entry today, a little bit reflective maybe as February is one of the worst months for giving up a new years resolution or dumping your gym membership but if any of you are trying to change your lifestyle stick with it no matter how hard it feels sometimes. You will have bad days and very bad days but gradually you and your body will get used to its new way of life until the bad days are a distant memory.
www.petersmithcollective.co.uk Home Of Foreverbunny and the Impossimals
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