Ironman Mark

… I had better start losing weight.  Then ten minutes later eat something that is decidedly unhelpful?  Let’s just say more than once!

So, the plan is that I start tomorrow.  I say tomorrow as today is Boxing Day and I have a nice dinner planned.

But do be successful I am told I need a goal an outcome that is “SMART”.  But I am not sure if that is true as I quite like process goals.  So, my process goals are:

• To exercise consistently.
• To record everything I eat for at least the next month.  From this perspective, it doesn’t matter what I eat – just that I write it down.  I am going to try to use Myfitnesspal for that as it’s free, works on the web and also has an Android App.
• I can eat anything I want to.  Nothing is forbidden.
• But saying that, I am not going to eat chocolate (proper chocolate: bars, bags and boxes).  I have done well not eating these since August and so I want to continue that.
• Also, I spent a lot of time getting off of caffeine so I will continue to avoid that.
• I will do my best to stay out of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Somerfields at work.  I find that I might go in for a bit of chicken and some fruit, but come out with a couple of pain aux raisins plus all sorts of other bits and pieces that aren’t healthy.  Don’t go in there, don’t buy the junk.  Easy
• Drink more water and squash.  When I exercise in the evening, I wake up feeling dehydrated.  Drink more stuff that does not come out of cans!  Drink before breakfast, drink before lunch, drink before dinner and just drink.
• No more nipping up to the cafe at work for a muffin (or a cake).  If I want something (it is probably a drink anyway), have a drink and buy some fruit.
• No eating after 9pm (except for fruit and veg).  I don’t think it makes much of a difference when I eat but I know that after I have done an hour on the wattbike, I’ll eat something.  Then something more.  Then just another.  And another.  I find it difficult to restrain my eating.  So hence this rule.  But it is more of a guideline.  If I am late back from work and I want to eat, then I eat.
• Avoid eating chips.  What purpose do they serve?
• Eat when I am hungry, don’t if I am not.  If I think I am hungry, check if I am not just thirsty.
• While I am at it, don’t go to the “cakes area” at work (or If I do, try for no cakes, just a sweet)
• If I really fancy some sweets, but a small packet, not a large one.
• When thinking about food that is not obviously healthy, ask myself the question “What has the food industry done to make me want to eat this?”  If the answer involves adding fat, sugar and/or salt then think twice about whether I want to eat it.
• So if I can’t go in to supermarkets at work what am I going to eat at lunch time?  Not sure but I can see stuff that I bring in to work (like fruit, chicken, fish, Ryveta, peanut butter) being eaten a lot!  It will be more hassle but it will be easier to eat healthily.

So if I listen to all these people who like SMART objectives, what would success look like?  Not a huge difference really?  A little more running speed would be good – so maybe 4kg off before the Reading half-marathon in three months.  It’s not a tough target.  The toughness is to make sure that I am consistent.  No two day wonder.   That’s the hard bit.

So, nearly two weeks without diet coke and I am starting to feel better.  Not had any headaches recently.  Not felt more tired than I would expect to.  I’ve worked out that exercising helps me feel better.  I guess all those en-dolphins swimming through my brain satisfy whatever likes the caffeine.  Good!

Next experiment is a 28 day “more healthy” eating programme.  I am going to try to eat healthy.  I’m pretty stable with weight at the moment but I am eating miles too much junk food.  There seems to be a few reasons for this:

- I don’t plan breakfast when I do early morning exercise.  So, I might have an apple before I go for a swim.  Then I’ll go straight to work so I’ll get a mars bar from the vending machine at the pool.  Then I’ll get the train in to work and on the way to work I’ll have a croissant or three or a bacon and mushroom baguette.  So the new plan is to have some stuff in the fridge that I can take with me and eat after swimming (e.g. some fruit and chicken/salmon).

- I get fed up and so eat.  Difficult one that.

- I am thirsty and so eat.  Easy one that.  Get a drink!

- I want to take a break at work so I go and walk to the cafe and have a chocolate muffin.  Habit is a horrible thing here.  If I can take a break in some otherway that will help (and save me cash as these are the world’s most expensive muffins!)

- The food is just there.  There is a huge amount of cakes and sweets in the office from birthdays, trips abroad, etc.  So I just graze.

Just to reiterate.  This is a “more healthy” eating campaign.  It is not a “don’t eat chocolate” campaign.  If I want to eat it I will.  But the idea is to eat a lot less of the stuff.