Do you label your food?

Aside from the obvious food packing labels, I am wondering how many people, aside from myself, label food as either "good" or "bad".

Over the past week in an effort to change my thinking from, "My arse looks like a snow plough", or "The new tyres on the car could come from my waist", I have been trying to recognise how completely destructive this way of thinking is, and change it.  I've also been trying to identify what things trigger my moods and therefore, my 'self-talk'.  Food as I have come to realise, is certainly something that can lead to thoughts and feelings regarding the size of my butt.

I have known for some time (and have perhaps been unwilling to admit), that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. Don't get me wrong, I love food; I love how it smells when I am cooking, I love how it tastes when I am eating it, I love mixing it with wine, and trying new flavours and spices in my cooking.  I love how food looks -especially if it contains blue veins or double-cream mould.  I love how food brings my family together, and how weekly we share good laughs, memories, and stories over food.  What I don't love is how I feel after eating certain foods.

If you are anything like me, it is possible you may have an "all" or "nothing" mentality.  For me this means that like so many things in my life, I lack balance when it comes to food.  All to often I have set out to eat one chocolate biscuit and have shamefully stopped somewhere around the fifth.  The thing is, more often that not I only enjoyed the first one or two, and after that I was purely binging out of a sense of guilt, and a lack of control.

This I have decided is possibly because I view certain foods as "good" and "bad".  Good foods I eat guilt free - however, I probably eat larger serves of these foods than I actually need to due to my belief they are good.  Whereas so called bad foods I mostly try and avoid, and perhaps it is for this reason that when I do eat them I tend to binge on them. I have the warped, and rather sad view that "Oh well, Alfie, you have let yourself down now, may as well eat the entire packet and go for broke with the chips aswell".

This week I have decided that in order to get myself back to my 'most comfortable and happy weight' I am going to focus on some realistic, and achievable, goals. With my all-or-nothing way of thinking there tends to come the desire to see significant changes overnight (oh I wish), yet I know logically this is not possible, and is not a healthy way of thinking. 

My goal for this week is to think about food as 'neutral'.  Not good or bad, but simply food.  Granted we all recognise some foods are going to be more nutritionally sound than others, but we also know that the key to a healthy lifestyle is moderation. This week I am aiming to make a few small changes in the way I think about food.

My motto for this week is: 'Yes, I can eat this if I want to, but is it what I really want?" If my answer is yes, than great I am going to eat it an enjoy it.  If however I am just eating it because it's available, I am bored, irritable, emotional - whatever, then perhaps that is the time to stop and think about my actions. 

Till next time, Alfie x

* I recommend getting your hands on a copy of 'If Not Dieting, Then What" By Dr Rick Kausman if, like me, you have these attitudes towards food.

It's Just One Big Merry-go-round!

Weight loss that is. Don't ya think?

I've been on this ride for over 3 years now and some days it feels like I can't for the life of me get off! In part this might have to do with the ideas I had established when I first started losing weight, and changing my lifestyle. I inadvertently thought once the 'goal weight' was reached, and both clothes and scales reflected the size I wished to be, I'd be able to step off the merry-go-round and resume normal programming. I was wrong.

For anyone who has struggled with his or her weight, and like me continues to, I'm beginning to wonder if the sad reality is that we are on this ride for life. Perhaps it is like an addiction to drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol - even when you are no longer riddled with the addiction, you still have to fight the urges to resist the thing/s you know provided comfort, or enjoyment, whilst you were addicted to them. For me this could be food – and well if I am being honest – laziness.

By my own admission I don't want to spend the rest of my life restricting my food intake, watching my calories, and keeping food diaries. I don't want to spend the rest of my life exercising to chase my tail, to burn off last night's takeaway indulgence, or to counteract the empty calories I plan to drink courtesy of my “TGIF”* wine(s).

All that said; I am frustratingly aware that my body, for whatever reason, is encumbered with a slow metabolism. I maintain that the sheer sight of certain fat-addled-foods manage to osmosis themselves onto my waist, butt and thighs without so much as sampling the food. It’s simply not fair!

I’ve considered having blood tests to see if I have a hormonal imbalance which might be rectified with the assistance of a naturopathic tincture or the like, but then I can’t deny the motivation for this path would also be to find a ‘quick fix’. I’ve done the hard yards, I’ve sweated more than my current body weight, I’ve ran more than I walked in the preceding years to my weight loss quest, and I’ve worn through more gym shoes than I ever dreamed possible. I’m done. I’m sick of this! I want to throw in the towel and retire to a groove in my couch; all my favourite foods lined up in front of me, and eat until my hearts content - or my button pops, whichever comes first.

Moments into my fantasy and reality smacks me in the face – I‘m not fitting into my jeans thanks to my aforementioned attempt at abandoning a healthy lifestyle in favour of a reaching broom (or rag on a stick)* and I’m reminded that I DON’T have to be on ‘diet’. I’m no longer in the ‘overweight’ range and my mindset needs to shift from constantly thinking I am exercising and eating to lose weight, to I exercise and eat well to live the best life I can.

If 3 years ago I’d known the real battle was not going to be shedding the kilos, but rather shedding the ingrained mindset that comes from having been overweight, and addicted to food, and laziness, I might have thrown in the towel right then! I think with my renewed vigor for blogging, I should focus on sharing the journey to achieve a healthy mind, to match the healthy body! Till next time,

Alfie ox

* TGIF - "Thank God it's Friday!"
* See pic below - warning, contains graphic content :p
 

A change is as good as...

Hello faithful followers (whoever is left after my very long departure that is),

Thank you for the messages regarding my whereabouts, and asking me to return to the land of blogging.  I have been meaning to for quite some time, and finally after remembering my password and setting my account back up, I am here!  My "Thank you" and "Apologies" are all rolled into one, I assure you.

So much has happened over the last 9 months (sheesh, I've been slack!).  The most significant change is that I have abandoned paid employment for full-time university study!  I am studying a Bachelor of Writing, and well, the hopes, dreams and all that jazz, are to one day be a 'paid' writer (!).

So far I am loving student life although I can honestly say my waist line is not!  I've found myself so busy, and at times stressed, that I have either neglected to eat at all, or have consumed everything edible within the confines of my house!  As a result, in the last 12 weeks I have gained roughly 5 kilos :'(  Ahhh, what can you do though, it's not the end of the World right, just the end of my 'skinny jean' dreams...for now. 

The reality is, I know how to lose weight, eat well, move more etc etc but must confess, I'm a little tired of it.  I have been losing weight, maintaining weight-loss, or dreaming of body issues for 3 years now and I think the first semester of uni has felt like a much needed sabbatical!  Now to figure out how to have a sabbatical without the weight gain?! Probably not drinking like a uni student would help...

So what else has been neglected in my departure from blogging: Well, Sexy Twin is still sexy, Muscle Man is still muscular, Jim and Bob are fabulous and are now 5 and 2.5 which is hard to believe.  I absolutely still run (just not as often this past 3 months), and well heck, let's face it - I am still trying to be a "Fit and Fab Mama!", oh and I am now a brunette. 1

Stay tuned (if you can be bothered) to see how long it takes me to lose my extra love handle(s), and or, blog again!  Hopefully the blogs come faster than the weight gain did!

Alfie x
1: Bet that snippet of info made your day, huh!

False Advertising

"Do you want fries with that"

Tonight as I was on the treadmill, cursing every blasted step, and trying to distract myself from the agony that was my run by watching Neighbours (honestly I don't know which was worse, the run or the soapy) an advertisement came on TV for Donut King.

Imagine four waif-thin, blond, attractive girls wearing nothing but gold hot pants (enough said) and a pink singlet with "DK" planted squarely in the centre of perky bosoms (Yes, of this detail I am jealous). Now visualise these size 8, never-eaten-a-donut-in-our-life girls doing something I can only liken to synchronised swimming - on land - with a donut in hand, floral shower cap atop their perfect, skinny heads and I imagine (iPod was on) fluffy, feel-good music in the background.

"PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT REALITY"

All I generally feel when I indulge in anything from Donut King is regret. I've certainly never morphed into Tara Reid (actually...thank god) and my dancing skills and athletic prowess do not suddenly become Olympic-worthy as I taste the last morsel of my cinnamon dipped fat.

Alas, this is not the only advertisement of this nature. McDonald's, Coca Cola, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster - you name it - they all do it.

McDonald's latest campaign resting heavily on the idea that McDonald's equals a good family time. Granted some of my own childhood memories contain family outings to McD's but I personally think this has more to do with being 1 of six children in a single-income family than a parental desire to bond over a Big Mac.

Coca-Cola another classic example - almost every Coke advert displays bikini clad women frolicking in the waves on a summer's day, sun glistening off the water and into the twinkling eye of the nearest Afro-haired, young lad whose life is about to change thanks to a fizzy drink so potent it could clean your driveway!

Of course to be fair, I get it. Sex sells. Sexy sells. Rich marketing executives of adverts such as these, are undoubtedly sitting in their penthouses paying there personal chefs and trainers, using the money spent from social misconception that donuts will inspire synchronised swimming, McDonald's will bring a family closer together, and Coke will solidify your love life - or at least guarantee a fun day at the beach.

But, let's be real about this for 5 minutes and imagine this was the advertisement. I wonder what would sell then?

And simply because you can't beat the Japanese hilarity of this advert - which would actually succeed in turning me off also!

Measures of success

If you are anything like me, the chances are you have possibly set your weight loss goals on a specific number. Your ideal weight.

For years now I've been hung up on this elusive number. The weight I envision myself in my wildest dreams (these dreams also include a long and sexy persuit (and trist) with Wentworth Miller where I am the envy of woman worldwide). The reality is of course that the number I'd previously set my sights on is the digit I weighed at the tender age of 10! Completely unrealistic, especially if I want to be more than a skeleton with a tent of skin!

One thing I've started realising and actually put more stock in of late is other tangible measures of success. How do I feel? How do my clothes look and fit? Do I have muscles other than the one I flap about daily in my mouth? Do I have some general tone where a muscle should be? What are my measurements? How fit have I become?

Since taking these factors into consideration I have become accutely aware of the many and varied ways in which I can feel great about myself and see changes in my body.

One tiny (ironic at a Weight Watchers meeting) flaw I have found with Weight Watchers is the value they place in stepping on those blasted scales each week. I understand of course that at some of their meetings there are simply to many 'watchers' to faciliate anything other than a quick date with the scales and a number presented to you in your pocket book. Nonetheless, I am all to aware that the faces of my fellow weighers reflect the success or failure they feel they have had based solely on the digits now presented to them in smudged black pen!

It is entirely possible, and often likely, that weight-loss success will not be reflected with an actual body mass loss. Sometimes it's possible to lose size around your mid-section, or gain a lovely toned calf (maybe even 2) without seeing that reflected on the scales.

Muscle Man has the right idea in my opinion. He determines his success based on how much of the sun he can block out when he flexes his bicep! I now try and measure my success based on the size of my muffin top - when it's not billowing out of my pants like a sail on a yacht I know I am on track!

I thought it a timely reminder to myself (and possibly my readers) to review my own measurements in this regard:

16 December 2007: June 2009

Waist: 90cm ----------------------> 79cm

Hips: 100.5cm ----------------------> 88cm

Left Arm: 34cm ---------------------> 28cm

Right Arm: 34cm --------------------> 27cm

Left Thigh: 57cm --------------------> 53cm

Right Thigh: 58cm -------------------> 52cm

Right Shin: 38cm --------------------> 33cm

Left Shin: 37cm ---------------------> 34cm

This is a total loss of 54.5cm (and just think, if I included my boobs it would be around the 80 mark!).

Being a numbers gal I'm pretty happy glowing over my 54cm alongside my 20 kilo one ;o)

** The towel rack really is a lovely helper! I often lightly rest my arm on mine if I am after a loss of 500 grams in the space of 20 seconds ;o)

Slow and Steady...

...wins the race!

I've surprised myself with this little fable and wait for it - I actually do believe it!

Three years ago I would have scoffed at this common little saying and defended my fervent belief it was something we say to losers to make them feel better about themselves - and well, their complete lack of speed. I mean c'mon let's face it, the rabbit only lost because he was arrogant and stopped for something to eat (sound familiar?) giving the turtle the opportunity to pass!

However, now days in my 'successful-loser' frame of mind, I have realised the benefits of losing weight slowly and steadily.

I am currently in my 6th week of Weight Watchers and have lost a grand total of 3.8kgs, which also equates to a 5% body fat percentage loss! HOWZAT! (How very 'occa' of me).

Years ago I would have thrown the towel in by now disgusted at my lack of success, based on my own unrealistic goal setting. I was the token Biggest-Loser-watcher who had aspiration's of losing 4 kilos per week and reaching my 20 kilogram weight loss goals within a couple of months. No wonder I quit! I was never before prepared to invest the TIME (or sweat) the task required! After a couple of weeks, I'd be sitting back on my laurels and indulging in my usual lazy ways, cursing my body and it's inability to lose weight. I was never prepared to curse the real source behind my failings - MY inability to put the food down and get off the couch.

Here I am 3 years later and I am still aspiring to get to goal. You know what though, that's A-OK with me! My own experiences have demonstrated to me that realistic weight losses, such as 300 grams per week, are the kind which I can easily maintain and keep off! The fleeting times where I've lost in excess of a kilo are generally the weeks where I congratulate myself with a box of Cadbury Roses (You ought to be congratulated and all that jazz - Oh wait, that catchy little tune was for a butter advert right? Heh, chocolate/butter same consequence) and suffer the following week.

I am currently attending WW's meetings with baby sis, Angel, and some good friends. It's fantastic to have the support network each week. We are like a little bunch of 'weight-loss groupies' all getting together each Wednesday night to cheer each other on with our successes and offering a shoulder (or a carrot stick) for our gains. However, one thing which I have noticed as a distinct difference is that I joyfully-leap off the scales after losing 200 grams feeling elated and letting off a few victory-air punches as I go (after-all, I'm still having my wine with dinner, my treats on occasion and am NOT counting food points as WW's suggest you do). My friends however view a number less then a kilo as a possible failing on their behalf.

It's not their fault of course - socially we are so geared to expect weight loss success to happen instantly. We are so inundated with 'quick fixes' and alternatives to genuine hard-work and self-control that we have come to expect nothing less then success served up in large numbers (like our portion sizes) and instant results. I want to shake them all and remind them how fantastic they are doing - a loss is a loss after all, and in this particular instant I DO believe, in fact I know, that slow and steady does win the weight-loss race!

Australia the Obese Nation. Which statistic are you?

Having been to the U.S. (think Chip & Dale Disneyland photo) I find it hard to fathom how Australia can even fit (pun intended) into the same category of obesity as America does. This is after all America we are talking about. The land of cheese and phillysteaks!

One of my first memories of Disneyland was walking through the golden arches (oh wait, that's McDonald's) and seeing one of the elaborately-dressed-cartoon-like street sellers hoisting a roast turkey leg above their head and insisting fascinated passers by (read me) "Try the giant leg". The term 'giant leg' possibly still proving an understatement. These legs were no ordinary drumstick. These were the stuff pirates are made of!

How do we possibly compare to this? In Australia you're lucky if your Kentucky Fried Chicken drumstick fits into the palm of your hand, let alone being size-equivalent to the length of your own thigh (the irony of course being KFC is American). Australia also does not pride itself on the "Big-Gulp" (as seen below). So where have we gone wrong?

Sadly though, big-gulps and Turkey legs aside Australia is up there in the 'obese nations' category. A report in the Parliament of Australia Parliamentary library states:

Reports of an ‘obesity epidemic’ appear with increasing frequency and rising concern in Australia. Particular attention is given to reports of the accelerating rate of obesity among Australian children. Overweight and obesity in Australia

In the words of Helen Lovejoy "DEAR GOD WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!" (Muscle Man will be very proud of my Simpson's reference!).

A recent survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 68% of adult men and 55% of adult women were overweight or obese. For children, there was a significant increase in the proportion who are obese from 5.2% in 1995 to 7.8% in 2007/8. The proportion of boys who were obese more than doubled from 4.5% to 9.7% while girls remained unchanged at 5.8%. ABS Health Study

Even more concerning was a recent article printed in the latest edition of Weight Watchers magazine which claims that by 2020, 65% of all Australian children will be overweight or obese. Weight Watchers Online

So with statistics that indicate less Aussie men and women are in a healthy weight range then those who are not, which statistic are you?

For me, I see it as a sad state of affairs regarding the health of our nation that I should pride myself on being in the statistic serving as the minority. Alas, it would seem that with a statistic as low as 45% I should feel proud!

To some extent one could possibly argue that 'weight' does not always accurately reflect health. In this vein I am almost certain if we took a percentage of "healthy-weight-rangers" and looked at their health beyond the digit afforded to them on the scale, we would find that a portion of them were in fact less-healthy than those tipping the scale at the "overweight end". However when it comes down to it, healthy or not, the figures in relation to obesity are startling.

So what can we do?

Well, if I had all the answers I'd be rich and therefore, I imagine I'd be on a holiday in Disneyland at present with Muscle Man, Jim, Bob and a turkey leg. Sadly though the only immediate answers I have is that as a parent, and a person myself, it needs to start at home and it needs to start with SELF. It also needs to start with an honest question, which statistic are you?