In April (2013), I decided that I needed to something about my weight.
At times I had been nudging 16 stones and rapidly moving into the 'obese' category on the body mass index charts, but I was at a loss as to what the best strategy for me would be.
Eat less and exercise more, of course, but you do need a structure to work to, otherwise in week one you lose a couple of pounds and by the weekend you feel that you have 'earned' a treat. I think many overweight people who are on diets behave this way and could explain why we hear so much about the yo-yo dieters.
All that aside, I have just been to get the results of my blood test and things are looking good. In 2010 my overall cholesterol reading was 6.0, which I was told was on the high side of the safe spectrum. My 'bad' cholesterol was 4.7 and my 'good' cholesterol was 1.27.
Today, the LDL (bad) cholesterol has gone down to 4.0 and the HDL (good) cholesterol has gone up to 1.33; overall, my cholesterol has falled to 5.7, which is great news.
I am also down to 14 stone and 3 pounds, which is over 14 pounds (1 stone) lighter than when I started this regime in April.
Still a reasonable way to go on the weight front, but the signs are positive. I'll have aother blood test in 6 months and will be very interested see those figures.
In the meantime, I am now almost looking forward to my 'good' days (as my boys now refer to the 600-calorie days) and know that any hunger pangs are very small price to pay for a healthier body.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Soufflés: well worth the effort
During a recent weekend I had the opportunity to plan a meal for me and my wife; on the Saturday she was going to be on an all-day course and I had a few jobs to tick off, which would be finished by late afternoon.
The meal was starter of tomato, mozzarella and basil salad, then moules-frites and then lemon soufflé. The first two courses were easy enough, but having never made soufflés before I read and re-read the recipes, double-checked the ingredients and then made a start.
With certain recipes there is some latitude; if a pinch becomes a teaspoon it's not the end of the world, but with soufflés, which must be one of the most exacting items to produce, I was very careful with everything.
When ready for the oven the mixture was carefully spooned into coffee cups (I didn't any ramekins), which were placed in the oven and the timer duly set.
The first two courses were delicious, as expected, but the tension mounted (for me, at least) as the time approached when I needed to see if the dessert had imploded or risen. It wasn't quite like a scene from The Great British Bake Off, but there was much celebrating when I saw that they had RISEN!
My first batch of this classic French dessert had been a success and they were sublime.
All that is left is this image that I snapped before I tucked in, which shows a soufflé, which has risen beautifully.
I was delighted to have tried something new and equally pleased with the result, so I would say to anyone: have a go, try something new, what have you got to lose?
With certain recipes there is some latitude; if a pinch becomes a teaspoon it's not the end of the world, but with soufflés, which must be one of the most exacting items to produce, I was very careful with everything.
When ready for the oven the mixture was carefully spooned into coffee cups (I didn't any ramekins), which were placed in the oven and the timer duly set.
The first two courses were delicious, as expected, but the tension mounted (for me, at least) as the time approached when I needed to see if the dessert had imploded or risen. It wasn't quite like a scene from The Great British Bake Off, but there was much celebrating when I saw that they had RISEN!
My first batch of this classic French dessert had been a success and they were sublime.
All that is left is this image that I snapped before I tucked in, which shows a soufflé, which has risen beautifully.
I was delighted to have tried something new and equally pleased with the result, so I would say to anyone: have a go, try something new, what have you got to lose?
Holidays in the UK: a growing trend?
A colleague recently commented that if the weather in this country could be guaranteed to be hot and sunny, as it has been recently, there would be no need to go abroad.
Au contraire, mon ami. Irrespective of the weather we would still be looking to go abroad and it isn't (for me and my family) just for the weather. Of course the sun and good weather is appealing for anyone living in a country whose skies are generally 50 shades of grey, but surely that misses the point of what else you get from being abroad.
Experiencing other cultures, climates, customs and cuisine does broaden the mind; you see life from other perspectives (that of being the foreigner, for one) and by definition you really are away from 'it all' whatever that means to people if you are not surrounded by familiarity.
This year we're heading to the shores of Lake Geneva and having just checked Météo France's website the local temperature is going to be up in the early-mid 30s. There will be some storms, as we have experienced at other French lakes, especially as the site is over 300 metres above sea level and the surrounding mountains of the Haute-Savoie region (rising up to the heights of Mont Blanc (5,600m) the highest mountain range in Western Europe) provide the perfect geography for thunder storms (albeit, short-lived).
At the time of writing, and looking forward to being away, the heavens have opened and there's a thunder storm raging; no idea if and when the sun will re-appear but there are certainly no doubts in this household about heading across la Manche this year.
Bon voyage.
Au contraire, mon ami. Irrespective of the weather we would still be looking to go abroad and it isn't (for me and my family) just for the weather. Of course the sun and good weather is appealing for anyone living in a country whose skies are generally 50 shades of grey, but surely that misses the point of what else you get from being abroad.
Experiencing other cultures, climates, customs and cuisine does broaden the mind; you see life from other perspectives (that of being the foreigner, for one) and by definition you really are away from 'it all' whatever that means to people if you are not surrounded by familiarity.
This year we're heading to the shores of Lake Geneva and having just checked Météo France's website the local temperature is going to be up in the early-mid 30s. There will be some storms, as we have experienced at other French lakes, especially as the site is over 300 metres above sea level and the surrounding mountains of the Haute-Savoie region (rising up to the heights of Mont Blanc (5,600m) the highest mountain range in Western Europe) provide the perfect geography for thunder storms (albeit, short-lived).
At the time of writing, and looking forward to being away, the heavens have opened and there's a thunder storm raging; no idea if and when the sun will re-appear but there are certainly no doubts in this household about heading across la Manche this year.
Bon voyage.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The 5:2 diet
I saw the programme on BBC2 last year about fasting and how it could boost your health and help you lose weight. I thought it sounded interesting but couldn't really factor in one day with no food, because on such days you need to do little physical activity.
Being married with 2 boys and running a business, and I decided that it wasn't going to happen. But, as the programme progressed it was explained that you could get the same benefits simply by restricting your calorie intake for a couple of days a week.
Fast-forward to today and I have decided to give this regime a go. The so-called 5:2 diet (5 days of normal eating and 2 days of 600 calories for men or 500 for women) has to be one of the easiet to get your head around. Provided you are accurate in how you calculate your calorific intake you will improve many areas of your life.
If anyone is in doubt about this diet they should always seek medical opinion and it is not suitable for pregnant women or people with underlying health conditions.
At 5'11'' and weighing 15.5 stones, I am overweight (on some charts almost 'obese', which is a scary thought because I don't think I look that bad, at least in my opinion) and I know that as I am about to turn 48 something has to be done.
Previously, I have tried Weight Watchers and Slimming World, and I just got bored with the regimentation of these diets and also didn't have time for the 'weigh ins', which were just like scenes out of Little Britain's Fat Fighers: the weekly embarrassment of having only 'lost' half a pound or even worse: gaining weight.
So, the fasting diet is (comparatively) easy. Yes, I did feel hungry during the fasting day, but having only done one day so far I think that the hunger pange will diminish as your stomach reduces in size (and in expectation).
My next limited calorie intake day is this Thursday and I hope that I can stick to this regime.
I'll report back in due course, but so far, so good.
Being married with 2 boys and running a business, and I decided that it wasn't going to happen. But, as the programme progressed it was explained that you could get the same benefits simply by restricting your calorie intake for a couple of days a week.
Fast-forward to today and I have decided to give this regime a go. The so-called 5:2 diet (5 days of normal eating and 2 days of 600 calories for men or 500 for women) has to be one of the easiet to get your head around. Provided you are accurate in how you calculate your calorific intake you will improve many areas of your life.
If anyone is in doubt about this diet they should always seek medical opinion and it is not suitable for pregnant women or people with underlying health conditions.
At 5'11'' and weighing 15.5 stones, I am overweight (on some charts almost 'obese', which is a scary thought because I don't think I look that bad, at least in my opinion) and I know that as I am about to turn 48 something has to be done.
Previously, I have tried Weight Watchers and Slimming World, and I just got bored with the regimentation of these diets and also didn't have time for the 'weigh ins', which were just like scenes out of Little Britain's Fat Fighers: the weekly embarrassment of having only 'lost' half a pound or even worse: gaining weight.
So, the fasting diet is (comparatively) easy. Yes, I did feel hungry during the fasting day, but having only done one day so far I think that the hunger pange will diminish as your stomach reduces in size (and in expectation).
My next limited calorie intake day is this Thursday and I hope that I can stick to this regime.
I'll report back in due course, but so far, so good.
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