80 Kilos

80 Kilos

I did it. Last week I reached the mental border of 80 kilos. (176 pound according to the converter). Last year around this time I was weighing around 100Kg (220 pounds) so I lost about 20Kg (45 pounds) since then and I must say I’m more than a little proud of that.  How did I do it ? Read on.

First I just let nature walk it’s course. for months I kept swinging between 98 and 97Kg. Gradually it started to annoy me and then the second week of January I put my fist down. I would lose it all again. Go back to the weight from before I met Chantal.

A devious task indeed.  At least it seemed that way.  I reality there was actually nothing to it.  The start was the most difficult and only because I thought it would be.  I started out with a strict diet. I could only eat low fat low calorie food. with a daily calorie intake of about 1400 or less.  But I made a promise to myself. Just because I restricted myself to low fat, low calorie It did not mean I did not have to enjoy myself.

Luckily for me and my family I am a creative hobby cook and I read a lot about dishes and cooking.  I googled some dishes and I was off.  Slightly changing the otherwise boring and tasteless food prescribed by the various health sites with my knowhow of herbs and spices.  Carfully selecting ingredients by their food values. I made tasty low calorie low fat dishes.

Now the average male with some sort of physical effort can eat up to 2000 Kcal a day without gaining weight. Since going to work and lunch in between is at least a 1 and a half our a day for me I was on the clear for that. I just had to stay below that to loose weight.  So I started out the day with to loafs of bread with sweet stuff counting to about 3 to 400 hundred Kcal then have a lunch about 500Kcal  I still could eat 1100 Kcal.

I tried to make dinner below 500 Kcal and that would leave the room for some snacks. and there’s the catch.  As long as you eat from time to time during the day your  metabolism keeps active. Which means more Kcal burning and also means you cut yourself some slack.  The trick is in the snacks. just eat low fat low Kcal snacks halfway between a normal meal and make sure it does not reach over 200 Kcal  per snack and your there. Instant weight loss.

After I figured that out I could easily cut myself some slack and I found out I could eat more during the weekends and still loose plenty. The first 6 weeks where great I lost about 2 kilos  a week.  until I reached mid 80-ies, and then It suddenly stopped. My bodies way of saying what the hell are you up to.

I didn’t lose weight for the next 2 to 4 weeks. actually I lost some but only marginal. I was starting to get worried. No matter what I did I just didn’t loose anything. Luckily for me Chantal was an expert on weight loss and she ensured me it was just the natural reaction of my body and urged me to not give up. I almost did.

I didn’t and then Gradually it started again. loosing half a kilo each week as long as I kept to my eat at least 6 times a day schedule.  In the weekends I ate all the stuff I wanted only less of it. And during the week while I was working, keeping to strict amounts of calorie intake. This meant I could eat anything as long as I watched the calories of the food I was eating. Fatter food meant less to eat. It’s as simple as that.

Next to the food intake I started going to the gym. At first I did cardio losing weight by not getting my heart-rate over 140 which is makes sure your body burns calories and not makes muscles which are heavier than fat.  Then as I got smarter and read more about training schemes I switched to mild cardio and heavy muscle training. More muscles mean that your body requires more calories to sustain them and then I went to full cardio and full muscle training. Increasing my need for calories and burning them at the same time.

So how did I do it. Looking back  there are 4 ingredients to loss of weight, being:

• Discipline It all comes down to this. As long as you discipline yourself you will succeed. Discipline is crucial for success. You have to remain disciplined or else you will fail.

• Don’t go on a diet which deviates to much from your natural food habits. Dieting does not mean you can’t enjoy your food.  Not enjoying makes everything harder and means a threat to your discipline.
• Calculate.  Make a rough estimate about what you are going to eat. before you eat it. It doesn’t have to be on the Kcal but it has to be give or take.  Remember you can eat bad food. but you will have to balance it out later on in some way.
• Excersise.  Physical effort is crucial it makes  you lose weight and makes you keep losing weight if your further down the road.
• Knowledge, Don’t be deceived by miracle diets,  read about what food does and what training does. Examine your food consumption and start to adapt to that first. Then just read about what does what. educate yourself.  You will find out what your body needs and make sure it gets it.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3

Really it is!