The Biggest Loser Challenge: Hitting a plateau?

It’s been exactly 20 days since I started my Biggest Loser challenge. Almost three weeks. And there’s quite a bit of change to report.

Diet

First up, I have to a reasonable extent, been looking after what I eat. Smaller portion sizes, more fruit and veg and smaller meals spread out across the day to make sure I don’t get ravenous and go on a fridge raid!

However, there have been a few setbacks – most notably two takeaways in one weekend. We had houseguests and ordered in. And washed the junk food down with quite a lot of beer. Other than that though, my alcohol consumption is virtually nil right now, and I’m trying to keep junk food out of my diet.

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A sample 7-day healthy eating diet.

We’re always saying that we should start eating more healthily, but the biggest problem from my point of view is actually choosing foods to replace the unhealthy stuff with. Luckily, I have a fitness freak sister-in-law who took it upon herself to free the thin person within me – and came up with this sample 7-day menu plan.

Aren’t I lucky?

Now, I tried it for a week, and it was tough going at first, but I got used to it. And having a list of ‘approved’ foods means you’re less likely to slip into your old bad habits. I’m sharing it here – mostly as a reminder to myself, but possibly because it might help other people. Naturally, there’s the usual caveat about consulting with your doctor before beginning a new diet. You – like me – choose to use this information at your own risk!

Monday

• Breakfast: porridge
• Mid morning: fruit / 2 rounds brown toast
• Lunch: soup and a roll yogurt
• Mid afternoon: yogurt
• Dinner: chicken fajitas (no cheese)
• Exercise: Take a reasonably long fast walk (choose a route and stick to it) and time it. 30 pressups with wide arms standing up holding kitchen counter and 30 with arms closer together and elbows close to body

Tuesday

• Breakfast: cereal
• Mid morning: cereal bar
• Lunch: 1 wholemeal pitta with low fat Turkey, lettuce, 2 cherry tomatoes and a yogurt
• Dinner: grilled chicken breast with Rosemary and thyme, broccoli and carrots
• Exercise: Same route but jog slowly and time yourself. 30 sit ups and 30 squats.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: 2 slices wholegrain toast and 2 eggs
• Mid morning: 1 banana
• Lunch: cold veggie pasta salad
• Mid afternoon: 4 crackerbread
• Dinner: grilled fillet steak with spinach and grilled tomatoes. Fruit salad
• Exercise: 25 min bike ride

Thursday

• Breakfast: Cereal
• Mid morning: 1 apple 2 crackerbread
• Lunch: wholemeal bagel with low fat cream cheese and cherry tomatoes
• Mid afternoon: 1 yogurt
• Dinner: oriental chicken noodle salad (1 chicken breast, soy sauce, garlic, seasame oil, noodles, mange tout, bean sprouts, carrots)
• Exercise: jog route and time it. 30 press-ups, 30 sit-ups, 30 squats, 30 lunges each leg

Friday

• Breakfast: 1 toasted bagel with low fat spread
• Mid morning: 1 cereal bar and 1 fruit
• Lunch: Chicken salad sandwich, apple
• Mid afternoon: Yogurt and 1 fruit
• Dinner: 2 chicken breasts grilled with tomato salsa, lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, roasted cherry tomatoes
• Exercise: 1 hour bike ride

Saturday

• Breakfast: 2 weetabix, 1 yogurt, 1 slice wholegrain toast
• Mid morning: 2 crackerbread 1 apple
• Lunch: 1 sweet onion chicken terryaki Subway with no cheese on wholemeal roll – NO CRISPS or COOKIES
• Exercise: Swimming

Sunday

• Breakfast: 1 scrambled eggs, 1 slice wholegrain toast, 2 tbsp grilled mushrooms, 2 grilled tomatoes
• Mid morning: cereal bar
• Lunch: omelette (2 eggs, non stick pan, spray oil, 2 slices lean ham, chopped tomatoes and side salad)
• Mid afternoon: 1/2 bagel and yogurt
• Dinner: spaghetti bolognese (wholewheat spaghetti, lean mince, onion, carrot, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, basil FRESH, dried oregano)
• Exercise: rest day

So that’s it. Some of the exercise seems a bit punishing for sedentary types like myself, but I think the idea is to start off light and work up a bit.

Also, from looking over this, it seems a key component is the “eat little, eat often” method where you’re eating smaller snacks between meals to stop yourself from being so hungry you’ll go for the fastest and unhealthiest options!

Time to get serious about losing weight

My wife told me that new studies suggest carrying weight around your belly is the worst place to be fat. I was never aware that you had any choice in where you carried your weight, but the news dismayed me a little bit. I’ve been developing a rather worrying pot belly for the last few years – mostly as a result of a desk-based work life combined with a really lazy diet.

There are penalties for rocking the pot bellied look: you’re at an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. And you don’t want either of those things knocking on your door.

I’m not a doctor – just a slightly freaked-out dad/geek who’s been sitting on his ass for too many years. I’ve done a little bit of reading around the topic – here’s a good quote from a website called A Healthy Me:

Fat around the midsection is a strong risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancers, says Samuel Klein, MD, the director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Despite many years of studies — and an overabundance of potential study volunteers — experts aren’t exactly sure why people with large midsections are such frequent targets for disease. They do know that fat cells actually regulate metabolic functions, and many experts believe fat cells in the belly release especially large amounts of fatty acids, which wreak havoc on a person’s blood sugar and insulin metabolism.

Many other sites are talking about a recent study commissioned by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline called Visceral Fat and the Weight Debate which goes on to link belly fat to serious diseases. Now, that report may be in their interests (since they’re a maker of a weight loss drug), but for me it’s a kick up the ass to do something about this pot belly. Time to lose weight and tone it up. But how?

Avoid quick fixes

I’m convinced that quick fixes are a fool’s errand. Professor David Haslam, one of the authors of the Glaxo report reminds us:

Crash diets can do more harm than good. Invariably weight is put back on, with some of the weight regained accumulating as visceral fat.

My best guess is that in order to have a lasting effect on my own pot belly, I need to get some combination of better diet and increased exercise. Possibly with an emphasis on toning up that abdomainal section and burning the weight off that area.

I’m certainly not a fan of pill-based or surgical solutions. Maybe it’s my inner hippy, but I think a lifestyle change is the best way to tackle this problem. A better diet (my local Chinese restaurant will probably go out of business) and finding a way to work regular exercise into my routine has to be the way to beat this.

Losing the weight?

I’ll certainly consider doing an initial weight-in and perhaps photoblog the process as well to chart the journey. We’ll also have to consider writing some posts about healthy eating and exercise.

And if you’re a bit of a diet or exercise buff, please consider signing up and sharing your expertise with the rest of us lard arses!

Photo attribution: Tobyotter on Flickr (no, that’s not my physique!)

How to Make French Toast

I recently rediscovered the joys of French toast – a delicious mix of whisked eggs and bread, all fried to golden perfection. No, it’s not particularly healthy, but it’s a tasty treat and fills the gap if you’re not in the mood for a huge dinner.

Here’s how I make French toast – I prefer it fairly plain, but others like to add their own flavours to the mix. And I should mention that as an alternative to pan frying, you can grill the bread instead, but it’s messier and not quite as satisfyingly tasty!

Ingredients

• 2 large-ish eggs
• 2 slices white bread (I operate on the rule of 1 slice per egg)
• Ground black pepper
• Salt
• Cooking oil

Method

1. Put some oil in a large frying pan and heat on a high heat
2. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them until they’re smooth
3. Add a little ground black pepper to the mix to taste
4. Dip both sides of your bread into the egg mixture and place them in the pan
5. Fry until both sides are a crisp, golden brown
6. When finished, you might want to place the toast on some kitchen roll for a minute to dry off the excess oil
7. Serve it up on a plate, add a little salt to season it and munch away.

If you’ve got any tips to improve on this, or indeed any variations on this recipe, feel free to share them in our comments area!